Human skull · Europe, Alpine · ID: 3043291
Description
greyish-white paint, painted with three crosses and the line “Katharina Bauer Inwohnerin von Schönau”, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion.
The practice of engraving and painting exhumed skulls spread throughout Europe from Brittany to the monasteries on Mt Athos. It is closely associated with the spread of charnel-houses, which originated at monasteries and were taken up by village communities. Well-known centres of this practice are the towns of Faistenau and Gilgenberg in Austria as well as Altötting, Wasserburg on the Inn and Utling in Bavaria.
The object Human skull with the object ID 3043291 was last part of the auction 88th Tribal Art Auction at March 10, 2018 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 60 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,200.
Comparing literature
Wieczorek, Alfried (Hg.), Schädelkult, Mannheim 2011, p. 256