Excellent example of a human shrunken head.
previously owned by Andrea’s Bender a traveler and collector kept in his personal collection for the past 40 years.
Inside I discovered a scrap of newspaper from 1935.
Within the hair there is a lot of “historical” insect eggs, these are old and nothing is alive, the head has been frozen just in case.
Tribes from Ecuador and Peru such as the Shuar and Huambisa, would peel the flesh from the skull. Nostrils are blocked and lips sewn shut. Once the fat has been removed, the head would be boiled and the dried all whilst being moulded by hand to retain it's shape. Once fully dried decorative beads are added and the skin is covered in ash.
Photos form part of the description
Presented in a glass dome with wooden base measuring approx 20cm tall and 20cm in diameter.
The shrunken head itself measure approx 7 cm cheek to cheek, 14 cm base to top of hair and 9.5 cm from base to hairline.
