Lovely Old Vertebrae Bone with Secret Skull composition animal embody a combination of skill

embody a combination of skill

with a nice patina to the brass and a minor rusting to the chain

This and the rest from what I understand came from a  sketchbook of drawings Malta did in the 1930s or so

including in combination with splint ash on the lower half of the vessel

wide and deep

Lovely Old Vertebrae Bone with Secret Skull composition animal embody a combination of skillI found this in a wonderful shop filled with all sorts of interesting antiques and curiosities, and though I'm not especially oriented towards bones and things, it struck me as a very beautifully sculptural object, which becomes a different thing from every view. It was not until I was photographing it that I noticed a secret surprise: visible in the first image, in the right recess, is what looks like a tiny skull! (Maybe I'm crazy, but to me it's