M0016035: Wellcome Historical Medical Museum display: a face mask from New Britain and two Maori drinking bowls made from human skulls

Photograph of three objects included in the 1952 Wellcome Historical Medical Museum exhibition "Medicine of the Aboriginal Peoples in the British Commonwealth" as part of a display on "skull cult in Oceania" and published in Catalogue of an exhibition illustrating the medicine of the aboriginal peoples in the British Commomwealth. The first item is a face mask made from the anterior part of a human skull and modelled in clay. It would have been used in ceremonial dances to represent the dead. It was originally from New Britain and was purchased at auction by the Museum in 1922 and accessioned in 1937 (accession number R2870/1937). The other two items are both parts of a human skull decorated with an incised design and used as a drinking bowl. The first was from the Wanganiu River area of New Zealand and was purchased at auction by the Museum in 1932 and accessioned in 1937 (accession number R33/1937). The third was obtained from a chief in the Urewera country, North Island, New Zealand. It was purchased at auction by the Museum in 1931 and accessioned in 1937 (accession number R34/1937). None of the items are held by Wellcome Collection.

1957

1 photograph glass plate negative; 10.2 x 12.7 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession registers which provide entries for the items: accession number R2870/1937 and accession number R33/1937 and R34/1937. It also holds the publication.

Copyright is held by Wellcome Collection

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2021.

This item has been digitised but is not available online. Email collections@wellcomecollection.org to request access.