The Descent of Man #2 - a photo on Flickriver

            But which way is up?

The foreground object is an ashtray with a monkey and skull. It belonged to my grandfather and came from Vienna to Melbourne with him, my grandmother, and my mother. I have known it all my life.

The monkey is brass, the skull likely to be ivory, and the hefty ashtray itself appears to be porphyry. There is a lot of detailed work in the components, but I cannot judge its truthfulnesses, to life or death. The skull in particular looks very realistic, with fine cranial sutures on top. However, although the simian has a tail, it’s facial features look more ape than monkey to me. 

I was told that the arrangement was a comment on Darwin's Theory of Evolution. I presume the monkey is pondering what went wrong.

The addition here is a lifelike bronze elephant made in Thailand, acquired more recently, but now around two decades old. 

I thought the elephant, an even higher animal, would have its own thoughts -- on both ivory and human evolution...

Taken on: February 12, 2022

Tags:

Objet d’arte

Rare

Collectable

Ape

Natural Light

Window Light

Curio

Ashtray

Skull

Memento Mori

Ivory

Porphyry

Monkey

Bokeh

Canon

Sidelight

Elephant

Thailand

Trunk

Evolution

Darwin

Bronze

Brass « less

Sets appears in: • Elephants • At Home more » • Curios & Other Curiosities • On The Table • Bokeh • Side or Back Lit « less

Groups appears in: • Photography • canon photography more » • Lights and Shadows • Compositions • Bokeh Galore (No BOrders) • Amateurs • Oddity’s and the Bizarre • Surrealism • memento mori. • Unusual • Still Lifes - Curated • Bones `n Skulls • macabre art • Chiaroscuro • Charles Darwin • Photography Gallery (3 photos/day) • Bokeh: Smooth & Silky • Window Light • Shadows & Light • Creative Tabletop Photography • Wunderkammer • BOKEH - for the common folk • Cabinet of Curiosity • bokeh whores • Available Light / Existing Light • Natural Light • Natural Light Done Right • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Sidelight / Backlight • Beautiful Light - One a Day • Bokeh addiction • Lighting Aspects • CANON-NO LIMIT • *poetry of images • Single Light Source • ART BY FOTO • A Photographer [No AI or SL] • L'oeil du photographe - The Photographer's Eye . • Libro de Fotos / Photo Book • Curious Interestingness • This is Why I Bought A Camera • ~~~ Artistic Photography ~~~ • ~Attention Worthy - No 30/60 Limit • Yes a Canon Can • * no limits, just quality photography! « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II, f/4.0, 1/100 sec, 12.7mm, ISO 2500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II
Lens:	8.8-44.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	12.7mm
ISO:	2500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Show full info

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