Antique period Phrenology head Scottish Pottery c1835

Dated: 1825 to 1835 Scotland

A very rare antique period Scottish Pottery phrenology head. This figure is the largest version recorded in pottery and is especially unusual as represent a female head. The piece is in wonderful condition with no restorations, its well modeled with clearly defined decoration and titles relating to the various zones of the cranium. The Phrenology Head is titled in script "Man know thyself". The principal British centre for phrenology was Edinburgh, where the Edinburgh Phrenological Society was established in 1820. This connection with Edinburgh would have motivated the Scottish potters to produce these phrenology pieces of which only a few have survived.

Dimensions: 12.5 inches high

Current Condition: Fine unrestored condition.

Literature: Phrenology (from Greek: φρήν, phrēn, "mind"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") was a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules. Developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gall in 1796, the discipline was very popular in the early 19th century.

£6500    $7474