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VINTAGE SHRUNKEN HEAD
How to Prepare a Shrunken-Head
After the enemy had been decapitated (preferably while he was still alive), the head is cut off
below the neck, taking with it a section of the skin from the chest and back.
On the back of the head, a slit is made starting from the neck going nearly to the top. Once the
skin has been successfully pulled away from the skull without damaging the face, the skull is
tossed into the river. The eyes are sewn shut with jungle fiber and the lips are pierced with
wooden pegs.
The head is then placed into a boiling pot and simmered for around two hours, any longer and the
hair would fall out. Once the head is done, the skin will look dark and rubbery and will have
shrunk down to about 1/3 of its original size. The skin is then turned inside-out and any hunks
of extra flesh is scraped clean with a knife and then returned to its original shape.
The slit on the back of the neck is sewn shut so that the head looks much like an old rubber mask.
Hot stones are dropped into the neck opening of the head which is then constantly rotated.
This allows the hot stone to dry and shrink the insides while also preventing the insides from
getting scorched.
When the head has become too small for hot stones, hot sand is poured into the head, which
allows it to reach smaller places that the stones could not reach. This is repeated over and
over until the head is as small as its going to get. Then more hot stones are rubbed on the
outside of the face to burnish any wrinkled areas and to make the features more prominent.
Any extra facial hair is burned off and the finished head is hung over a smoky fire in order to
allow the head to harden to a deep black sheen. The final touch is a heated machete which is placed
on the lips in order to dry them enough to take the wooden pegs out and replaced with long jungle
string. This entire process takes about a week.
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This beautiful framed curio is 19 inches tall by 10 and 1/2 inches tall by 5 and 1/2 inches deep.
The image area is 6 inches wide by 11 and 1/2 inches tall. The ornate wooden frame is from around
the 1870s and has a wonderful patina. There are some chips in the paint and the original glass in
the door is still intact.
This is an actual real human shrunken head which came from the proprietor of the Niagara Falls Museum.
The head is intact as well as most of the hair, though there are a few cracks and disfigurements in
the face which could be fixed professionally if desired. I will leave that up to the buyer whether
that would seem necessary as I find the slices actually add more character to the head.
The head is nestled on a pillow of vintage red velvet, framed by a set of hand-sewn velvet curtains
compete with gold trim. The original brass latch on the side of the case allows the door to open and
clasp shut. The case is quite sturdy, and will sit proudly on a fireplace mantel or curio shelf.
The practice of shrinking human heads - a macabre custom in the Ecuador-Peruvian jungle - was outlawed
in the early part of the 20th century. Laws, however, did not curb demand, and new sources were
created to provide these uncouth curios for the souvenir trade.
Do note that this is obviously not a tsantsa head but a counterfeit head that was prepared by
someone other than the Jivaro Indians, more than likely a taxidermist looking to create an available
supply in order to quell the demand for these type of items, which as you the collector should know
are becoming much more scarce as each day goes by.
Counterfeit shrunken heads came in human. While many of the finished products displayed in museums
and private collections today are counterfeit, the heads themselves are not; real human heads were
used in the shrinking process. The first reference to this profitable form of taxidermy was in 1872,
when a white man living on the border near the Shuar learned their method of preparation.
The price for this is based on the extreme rarity of such an item, as shrunken heads are becoming
extremely scarce and more and more are being purchased for private collections and museums. Please
read the Bone FAQ below, as this also applies.
If you are thinking of purchasing a Framed Curio Exhibit,
please read the
Bone FAQ
to make sure you are within your legal
limit when purchasing human bones, &c.
This one-of-a-kind framed curio is signed, rubber-stamped and dated on the back by Madame Talbot.
Please Note: With all of my Framed Curio Exhibits, I try to replicate
an authentic atmosphere of Victorian-era Dime Museum Patina.
This of course refers to that very special layer of age that builds up over decades,
something which I try to incorporate into all of the framed curio pieces I make.
This Victorian-era Dime Museum Patina may include one or more of the following:
vintage dust fabric, flower petals shards, glue bits, thread strands, sun faded material,
water stained, and/or smoke burned 100-year-old paper, &c., &c., and &c.
Order by #CURIO-42
THIS CURIO IS SOLD
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