M0014167: Decorated human skull, Andaman Islands

Previous title, replaced January 2022: Decorated skull, Andaman Islands.

Decorated human skull from the Andaman Islands. Worn by a near relative of the deceased during the period of mourning. According to the accession register, the bones of the deceased are washed and made up into ornaments to which great importance is attached, both as mementoes and because they are believed to stop pain and cure disease. The item was purchased at auction by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in 1934 and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R6120/1936). It is not held by Wellcome Collection.

August 1955

1 photograph glass plate negative; 10.2 x 12.7 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession register which provides an entry for the item: acc. number R6120/1936 (image 158)

Copyright 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 2022.

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