M0018241: Three carved wooden objects: two cups and a headrest

Previous title, replaced October 2020: Wooden head cup, Kasai, Congo, Africa.

Previous title, replaced October 2020: Headrest, New Guinea.

Previous title, replaced October 2020: Wooden head beaker, Congo, Africa.

Photograph of three carved wooden items: a wooden cup carved in the shape of a human head with cicatrization marks on the face. From the Kasai province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was acquired by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum at an unknown point and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R8767/1936). It was transferred to the Fowler Museum, University of California, Los Angeles in 1966; a carved wooden headrest supported on an anthropomorphic figure, from New Guinea. It was purchased at auction by the Museum in 1925 and given accession number A39819. It is now held by the Science Museum (object number A39819); a wooden cup carved in the shape of a female human head created by the Pende in the Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. It was acquired by the Museum in 1927 and accessioned in 1937 (accession number R1024/1937). It was transferred to the Fowler Museum, University of California, Los Angeles in 1966. Related images: M0018242

September 1960

1 photograph glass plate negative; 10.2 x 12.7 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession registers which provide entries for the items: R8767/1936, A39819 and R1024/1937

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 2022.

Please consult the digitised version as this item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.