Late 19th c. phrenology plaster head with cranial divisions

A rare and expressive late 19th-century plaster bust, crafted in line with the now-discredited but historically fascinating pseudoscience of phrenology. The head features incised regional divisions mapped to mental traits, consistent with 19th-century academic models. This particular example shows mild cranial deformities and is numbered “29” — likely indicating it was part of a teaching series or institutional collection used in psychological or anatomical study.

Phrenology was developed by Viennese physician Franz Joseph Gall in the late 18th century and was originally called "Schädellehre" – literally "the doctrine of the skull." The theory proposed that bumps and shapes on the skull reflected inner character and intellect. While now considered a pseudoscience, it contributed to early ideas about brain localization and remains a fascinating chapter in the history of medicine.

The bust shows age-related wear and sits under a later-added glass dome with an ebonised wooden base — ready to be admired as a medical oddity, historical talking point, or simply a brilliantly bizarre decorative object.

You rarely see one like this on the market — expressive, numbered, and display-ready.