Bonhams 1793 : A pair of mummified "mermaid" figures 2

of composite build, incorporating taxidermy elements from various animals and fishes and believed to represent a "merman" and "mermaid". Including an early press photograph of the "mermaid" and a press cutting detailing their aquisition in 1904. 11 & 8.5ins. (28 & 21.5cm)long. 2

Estimate:

£1,000 - 1,500
US$ 1,500 - 2,300
€1,200 - 1,800

Footnotes

Originating in the Orient, these mythical figures were sometimes brought back by sailors as souvenirs. Made by the combination of mammalian and fish bodies, they may well have originally had religious significance. According to the accompanying press cutting, these two figures were acquired from the Fish Temple in New York's Chinatown at the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, when the Temple was ransacked by the Tongs.