Syphilitic Moulages, White Chocolate Carrion Crow Skulls, and Hand Printed Anatomical Postcards : Valentine's Day Gifts at the Morbid Anatomy Museum Giftshop!

Looking for a Valentine's Day gift for that special--and perhaps slightly eccentric and hard to shop for--someone? The Morbid Anatomy Museum Gift Shop might have just the thing.

Perhaps your beloved might appreciate a unique, ready to hang wax moulage depicting secondary syphilis of the face, handcrafted by our "Moulagist in Residence" Nicole Antebi (top image/$100; more here)? 

If that's not quite right, then perhaps one of our exclusive limited edition hand-printed anatomical postcards by Brooklyn artist Mark Splatter (second image down/$2; more here) would fit the bill? 

Or maybe a better fit would be one of our Morbid Anatomy Calendars (now on sale for only $12; regularly $20!) filled with photographs of uncanny objects found in obscure collections, and noting such dates such as the birthday of Edward Gorey, the first performance at Paris' Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, Dia de los Muertos and Santa Muerte's Feast Day (third image down/$12; more here)? 

If your sweetie prefers sweets, then perhaps our white Belgian chocolate carrion crow skull (now on sale for only $16; regularly $20!) by UK based Conjurers Kitchen might be of interest (fourth image down/On sale for $16; more here)? 

If not, then perhaps they might fancy a set of four Morbid Anatomy Museum coasters with our logo--a fetal skeleton from Frederik Ruysch's early 18th century book "Thesaurus Anatomicus," illustration by Cornelius Huyberts--might be just the thing (fifth image down/4 for $5; more here)?

You can find out more about all of these objects by clicking here. You can see all the Morbid Anatomy Museum offerings by clicking here.

Just in Time for the Holidays: Announcing the New Morbid Anatomy Museum Online Gift Shop!

Greetings, folks. Are you short of holiday gift ideas this year? Unsure where to get, say, Krampus-themed holiday cards? Or perhaps you are on the hunt for some large-scale, ready-to-frame color plates from a 19th century book on venereal and skin diseases, or tea cups based on microscopic images of the testicle, or memento mori rings, or funeral home anti-fainting kits, or photographs of Vodou ceremonies? Or maybe you might fancy some taxidermy, chocolate crow skulls, Masonic aprons, or Day of the Dead imports from our recent field trip to Mexico? Or perhaps--just perhaps!-- you require a handsome Morbid Anatomy tote bag or t shirt emblazoned with a distinctive fetal skeleton drawn from an 18th century book by Dutch "artist of death" Frederik Ruysch? 

If so, you are in luck, and here is why. It is because we have just launched The Morbid Anatomy Museum Gift Shop. And you can find all of these things--and many, many more!--on this gift shop by clicking here. 

And. Please note. This is only a first draft; we will be adding artists and objects weekly; click here to join our mailing list and be informed of updates. If you are interested in having your wares considered for sale on the site, please email info [at] morbidanatomymuseum.org.

Coveted Object #438: Skull Memento Mori Locket Ring, 17th Century, Gold, Enamel, Diamonds and Ruby; For Sale at Masterpiece London 2013

SKULL MEMENTO MORI LOCKET RING
England, 17th century Gold, enamel, diamonds and ruby. Solid, narrow hoop terminating in scrolled shoulders each set with a diamond. The bezel consists of a relief modeled skull and crossbones. The eye sockets are filled with rose-cut diamonds and the nose cavity is set with a triangular step-cut diamond; the mouth is engraved with clenched teeth. Each of the femurs is set with 4 diamonds at the heads, trochanters and condyls. A hinge below the skull’s chin opens a locket within which is set a small heart-shaped ruby.

For sale at the Masterpiece London 2013 show running from 27 June – 3 July (with a Preview on 26 June) on the South Grounds of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3. You will find it at stand A10, the booth of a company called Les Enluminures. The price unclear; you can find out more here.

Thanks to Constanza Isaza Martinez for the tip!

Amazing Auction Alert #583: "The Rouchomovsky Skeleton’: A Russian Gold Fully Articulated Skeleton In Silver-Gilt Sarcophagus," 1901

The fully articulated human skeleton in a velvet-lined coffin chased around on each side with three panels showing the course of life, one end with attributes of the arts, the other with attributes of war,  the removable cover with the journey in the footsteps of the Angel of Death, surrounded by the faces of infants alternately laughing and crying...

This fantastic piece is up for sale as Lot 291 in Sotheby's "A Treasured Legacy: The Michael and Judy Steinhardt Judaica Collection"auction coming up on April 29, 2013. Who would like to purchase it for The Morbid Anatomy Library?

The Rouchomovsky Skeleton’:  A Russian Gold Articulated Skeleton In Silver-Gilt SarcophagusEstimate: 150,000 - 250,000 USD

The fully articulated human skeleton in a velvet-lined coffin chased around on each side with three panels showing the course of life, one end with attributes of the arts, the other with attributes of war,  the removable cover with the journey in the footsteps of the Angel of Death, surrounded by the faces of infants alternately laughing and crying.
Skeleton signed in Cyrillic, on the right splint-bone: Mozyr [18]92 Odessa [18]96 and on the left splint-bone Rouchomovsky.

Sarcophagus signed on lid: Israel Rouchomovsky and in Cyrillic on base Israel Rouchomovsky Odessa 1901.
length of skeleton 3 1/2 in., length of coffin 4 3/8 in.
9 cm; 11.2 cm
the skeleton 1892-1896, the sarcophagus 1896-1906
Israel Rouchomovsky, Mozyr and Odessa

Catalogue Note

The Skeleton
Israel Rouchomovsky (1860-1934) came from a poor family in Mozyr, Belarus. Almost three-quarters of the population of the town was Jewish, and according to some accounts his parents wanted him to become a rabbi.[i] His memoirs describe how he was drawn to silversmithing, and the efforts required to get a work permit and move with his family to Odessa, where he arrived in 1892. They also recount how he helped a colleague make a first gold skeleton, now held in the Museum of Historical Treasures of the Ukraine.[ii]  He had thought this first skeleton would require a month of work, when in fact it took four, and he thought he could do even better; only certain sections of the first skeleton could move. The inscription on the leg shows that the fully articulated skeleton – supposedly with 167 different parts[iii] – required five years of work.

In his own words:"In the second piece, with the help of minute ball-bearings, all body members can move in all directions, and even the lower jaw can be opened and closed. This time I was entirely satisfied and I could say without any humbleness that I succeeded, I really succeeded, and it was at that point that I realized that this "deceased" deserved a beautiful sarcophagus."[iv]

It would be another five years to make the case, finished in Odessa in 1901. Again in Rouchomovsky's own words: "The sarcophagus is cut in massive silver and is covered entirely with ornaments and miniature figures [which he describes in minute detail]." Of the whole project, almost a decade of careful craftsmanship, the artist wrote, "although the work has taken very long, I can say that it is one of my best works, and I have always remained more than content with it, not only with its execution, but also with its underlying conception."...

You can find out more--and put a bid!--by clicking here.

Thanks so much to friend and excellent artist Martin Bland for bringing this wonderful piece to my attention! Click on image to see larger, more detailed images.