Human skull
Europe, alpine
Vendu
1 000 €
Provenance
Austrian Collection, KufsteinTaille
H: 14,5 cm
H: 5.7 inch
Description
painted with roses, a cross and the letters “GB”, min. dam.;
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.