Fish Head
Entry ID
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126 (14/02/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Fish Head
Description of the sculpture
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Wood and metal automaton sculpture depicting the upper body of a male with protruding nail heads used as a hair feature. A red fish is attached to the top of the head by a metal wire.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Statue: Half-length figure (single)
Base
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No base
Dimensions
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Height: 38 cm
Materials
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Wood (unidentified)
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Paint / pigment
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Metal (unidentified)
Specific techniques used
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Carving
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Polychromy
Overall colour
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Polychrome
Inscriptions
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signed and dated
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Anonymous: generic/idealised type
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Male
Age
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Adult
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Adolescent
Status
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Uncertain
Clothing
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Other
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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None
Action or activity
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Indeterminate
Emotional state
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Indeterminate
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking outwards (engaging viewer)
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Sculptor
Place of production
Period of production
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Twenty-first century (2000 -2099)
Date of Production
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2009
Date inferred from
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Recorded in inscription
Original purpose
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Decorative
Original display setting
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Unknown
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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FAMAG 2009.23.2
Provenance history
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Purchased with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the Darwin 200 celebrations
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/1044, . (no date) ‘Fish Head’, Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/1041
