The Descent of Man #1 - a photo on Flickriver

            But which way is up?

This object predates me. An ashtray with a monkey and skull, it belonged to my grandfather and it came from Vienna to Melbourne with him, my grandmother, and my mother.

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 have known this ashtray all my life, though that was nearly very short. The item was in a room where I was put down to nap as a toddler and, on waking, stuck my thumb into a live 240V lamp socket. I well remember the buzz and shaking around I got.

Having survived that early encounter with it, I was a bit later told that the arrangement was a comment on Darwin's Theory of Evolution. I presume the monkey is pondering what went wrong...

Taken on: February 12, 2022

Tags:

Smoking

Rare

Collectible

Collectable

Objet d’arte

Ape

Evolution

Darwin

Natural Light

Window Light

Curio

Ashtray

Skull

Memento Mori

Ivory

Porphyry

Monkey

Bokeh

Canon

Sidelight

Rich

Color

Colour

Warm

Light

Shallow DoF « less

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

Groups appears in: • Photography • canon photography more » • Beautiful Light • Bokeh Galore (No BOrders) • Amateurs • ~ Antiques ~ • Surrealism • memento mori. • Unusual • Bones `n Skulls • macabre art • Total Photography (No AI or SL) • Charles Darwin • Set Up Shots (not quite a still life) • Photography Gallery (3 photos/day) • Creative Tabletop Photography • Wunderkammer • Melbourne Photographers • Cabinet of Curiosity • bokeh whores • Extreme Bokeh • Natural Light • Old stories • Natural Light Done Right • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" (NO AI, CGI or SL images) • Sidelight / Backlight • Beautiful Light - One a Day • Bokeh addiction • Luminosity and Light • Bokeh Of The Day • Lighting Aspects • CANON-NO LIMIT • Still Life Photography • Single Light Source • ART BY FOTO • L'oeil du photographe - The Photographer's Eye . • Libro de Fotos / Photo Book • Curious Interestingness • This is Why I Bought A Camera • ~~~ Artistic Photography ~~~ • In Beautiful Light • The Eclectic Photographer • ~Attention Worthy - No 30/60 Limit • THERE IS NO LIMIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC CREATION • Bokeh before, Bokeh behind « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II, f/4.5, 1/125 sec, 33.8mm, ISO 6400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II
Lens:	8.8-44.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	33.8mm
ISO:	6400
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
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