Head of an Ox

myminifactory

This head of an ox, carved from marble and resting on a wooden tree trunk, conceals an astonishing peculiarity. In the center of the ox's head is a cavity containing a 'stone' identified as an osteoma, a new piece of bone growing on another, typically a skull, which was initially mistaken for the fossilized or petrified brain of an ox. This phenomenon may have originated from an incident in Padua in 1670, when a hardened mass of bone was discovered inside a slaughtered ox. The discovery created a sensation because it was believed that the brain of the animal had become petrified during its lifetime. In 1933, the Natural History Museum confirmed that the enormous osteoma displayed here is organic and likely to be a piece of diseased bone from a large mammal, such as an elephant or whale. The sculpture may have once belonged to the Querini family at the Villa Altichiero in Padua, although there is no solid documentary evidence. Its theatricality was typical of seventeenth-century fascination with naturally occurring anomalies, particularly within the context of noble and scholarly collections, where artistic objects sat alongside naturalia they sought to emulate. This unusual sculpture, with its varied textures and bizarre subject matter, would have provided a dramatic conversation starter. Scanned as part of The Digital Design Weekend at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Visitors to the design festival were invited to share a photograph of this sculpture and contribute it to Scan the World. These photos were then processed to generate this 3D model! Many thanks to all who participated in helping to scan this work. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.