Mandrake Figurine

In 1876 the Germanisches Nationalmuseum purchased this figurine made of plant root from antiquities dealer Georg Friedrich Geuder (1818–1897) and inventoried it as a “Galgenmännchen” (gallows figurine). The name stems from the widespread myth that mandrakes grew on sites where gallows once stood, sprouting from the bodily fluids of the hanged. People believed mandrake figures could make wishes come true. The figures were therefore carefully kept in coffin-like boxes, occasionally even
behind glass. Genuine mandrake roots are extremely rare, therefore most mandrake figures are made from other plants.