Lovely Old Vertebrae Bone with Secret Skull composition animal or a couple of white

or a couple of white blooms

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

A very sweet little bear he is

I  found it in New Hampshire and believe it walnut

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

Lovely Old Vertebrae Bone with Secret Skull composition animal or a couple of whiteI 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