Description: There are 17 photos, please scroll through all of them. The frame was removed for some of the photos to avoid glare from the glass. Up for grabs, a genuine taxidermied Jenny Haniver sideshow prop. These sideshow gaffs are also known as sea devils. This piece was created in 2003 and exhibited a decade later in a sideshow tent along with a feejee mermaid and some deformed freak animal specimens at the Bearded Lady Freak Motorcycle Show in Minneapolis in 2012. It’s mounted inside a wood and glass shadowbox. The frame has an antiqued gold finish and measures 17” tall x 13” wide x 1½” deep and has an engraved brass plaque affixed to the outside of the glass. Signed by the artist on the back, google Custom Creature Taxidermy Art to learn about its creator. The history of Jenny Hanivers ~ Mythical half human/half fish creatures have been part of maritime lore across the globe throughout human history. Turn-of-the century Europeans were spellbound by tales of mermaid sightings so native Oceanic peoples began capitalizing on the globally pervasive belief in aquatic humanoids by fabricating these little effigies of the deep. They became wildly popular South Seas souvenirs as well as a staple of Victorian sideshows. A Jenny Haniver is created by artfully cutting the body of a skate or similar cartilaginous fish into a winged human-like shape. The skate is then posed in the desired position and laid out in the sun to desiccate. The mouth is the real mouth of the skate but a Jenny Haniver’s “eyes” are actually the nostril openings of the skate. The “legs” are the skate's unaltered claspers. No one knows where they got the name Jenny Haniver but one theory suggests it’s derived from the way cockney British sailors pronounced the French phrase “jeune d’Anvers” (youth of Antwerp). About the sea devil being sold in this listing ~ This Jenny Haniver was made the same way they historically have been made. Several modern steps were added to the traditional process to insure its preservation and to eliminate the fishy smell usually associated with Jenny Hanivers. The skate was preserved with taxidermy chemicals prior to being trimmed and shaped and the innards were removed. No sculpting materials were used anywhere on this, what you are looking at is entirely the ray’s body, the only exception being the addition of antler tips from European roe deer to create the teeth and horns. This truly is a one-of-a-kind piece so don't miss the chance to add it to your collection. No export. For sale to the lower 48 States only.
Price: 1200 USD
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
End Time: 2024-10-16T03:19:01.000Z
Shipping Cost: 34.95 USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
