Rock Crystal Skull
When reviewing Damien Hirst's Diamond Geezer earlier this month (CLICK) I mentioned the rock crystal skull in the Museum of Mankind (the British Museum's Department of Ethnography). Bit out of date there! The Museum of Mankind closed in 1997 and its collection was returned to the British Museum in Bloomsbury. It is now the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Anyway, here's the rock crystal skull. It was originally thought to be Aztec, but is now known to be a 19th Century fake. This photo doesn't do it justice. Properly lit, it's a gem. Click the title link for more.
posted by Unknown @ 26.6.07
6 comments
6 Comments:
I enjoyed looking at the link, it really is magnificent. I have more respect for the craftsmanship involved in creating this than a skull studded with diamonds. Curious though, do we know the name of the person who actually did the diamond encrusted skull and anything about the skill involved in making it?
I am thinking I want to stud a pile of poop(not real of course)with diamonds (not real of course) and calling it hirst's poop. But alas I can't be bothered, I am pooped out lately. Maybe I could hire people to do it and then claim it is mine ;) Maybe someone will steal my idea and have fun with it, themselves.
Whoever carved the rock crystal skull probably didn't want to be identified, because it was sold as an ancient Aztec or Myan artifact. When I saw it at the Museum of Mankind years ago, they still thought it was genuine, but more recent examination revealed tool marks that could only be 19th Century European. The experts best guess is German. That's probably as near as we'll get to an answer.
They had power drills and polishers back in those days, although they might well have been treadle-powered! My paternal grandmother had a treadle-powered Singer sewing machine. It fascinated me as a boy.
As for Hirst's jewel-encrusted skull, he bought the skull in a shop in London. I assume he did the jewel work himself, but you never know. Could have been one of his team.
Somebody's beaten you to it ... well, sort of. An anonymous person posted a link in a comment on my Hirst skull blog. It takes you to a graphic of a jewel-encrusted phallus! I was tempted to use it on my blog, but thought better of it. Have a look.
Dang it, I saw the blasted phallus, it is so hard to be original ;)
Chuckle, chuckle.
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