Rock crystal skull
Probably European, 19th century AD
Large quartz crystal skulls have generated great interest and
fascination since they began to surface in public and private
collections, during the second half of the nineteenth century. Some
of them have been attributed to the work of Aztec, Mixtec or even
Maya stone workers. Others are said to be examples of colonial
Mexican art, for use in churches, perhaps as bases for
crucifixes.
Scientists at the British Museum have concluded that the
quartz crystal used in the manufacture of this example is likely to
have come from Brazil. Moreover, it bears traces of the use of a
jeweller's wheel, which was unknown in the Americas before the
arrival of the Europeans. These traces and the high polish of its
surface indicate that it was carved using traditional European
techniques.
The crystal skull was said to have come from Mexico, brought to
Europe by a Spanish officer, before the French occupation. Sold to
an English collector, upon his death it was acquired by Eugène
Boban, a French antiquities dealer. It became the property of
Tiffany and Co., N.Y., from whom it was purchased for The British
Museum. Boban could have acquired the skull in Germany, where large
quantities of Brazilian quartz crystal were shipped in the early
nineteenth century.
M. Jones (ed.), Fake?: the art of deception, exh. cat. (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)
J. M. Walsh, 'Crystal skulls and other problems' in Exhibiting dilemmas: issues of (Washington and London, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997)