A skull may send shivers down your spine, but a golden skull is pure beauty. Thanks to John the Anatomist, an exquisite anatomical reduction (a one-kilogram, 18-karat replica of his own skull) is up for sale until June 19 at Geneva’s Piguet Hôtel des Ventes, with an estimated value between $70,000-$90,000. The man behind this golden-hued masterpiece is Jean Fasel, a professor of medicine and former chair of surgical anatomy at the University of Geneva, who prefers to call himself John the Anatomist.
A perfectionist by nature, Fasel set out to reveal the innate beauty of the human body, an ambition that led to the creation of this gleaming skull, which weighs 1.016 kilograms and measures 12.5 x 7 x 9 cm. The project began with obtaining the most precise medical imagery available. From there, a 3D reconstruction was created, followed by a wax print for molding. The final piece was cast using the lost-wax technique, a method typically reserved for fine jewelry.
“I took a lot of time to find the best specialists, masters of fine jewelry and digital technology,” Fasel said. “There is enough ugliness in the world. I wanted… the most beautiful.” He added, “I thought like a craftsman, staying as close as possible to anatomical reality, not like an artist. I’m not one. I don’t seek to shock, just to make people question… a little.”
For those who find beauty in mortality, this may be one of the most brilliantly executed expressions of that idea, hauntingly exquisite, yet a brutal reminder all the same. It can be made yours at Piguet Hôtel des Ventes until June 19.
