Dem Bones

I used to think I was a bit odd for collecting and displaying skulls and bones in my home – but can happily report that it’s a wide-spread oddness! Let’s face it, we find bones and skeletons fascinating – and not just at Halloween.

Skulls are exquisite sculptures. Animal, fish and bird skeletons remind us of our evolutionary relationship with them. As a child I marveled at the fact that a cat’s foreleg had the same bone structure as my arm. Baboon skulls are unnervingly human.

And there is definitely a trend for skeletons in interiors. Last year Belgian designers Studio Job collaborated with Bisazza to produce the range of mosaic patterned tiles shown at the top. See a write-up here.

The toe bone's connected to the foot bone,
The foot bone's connected to the ankle bone,
The ankle bone's connected to the leg bone,
Now shake dem skeleton bones!

                  From a spiritual song composed by African-American author and songwriter James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938)

In the middle ages, depictions of skeletons were popular as a reminder of death, so that life could be lived to the full. Called ‘memento mori’ (latin for ‘remember that you have to die’), the custom dates back at least to ancient Rome, when, to ward off haughtiness and delusions of grandeur during his triumphant parade, a general was constantly reminded by a slave at his elbow that he was only a mortal.

Bones lying around in the african bush are evidence of the ongoing cycle of life and death. Sadly, the carcasses of poached elephant and rhino are not part of this natural cycle, but evidence of human exploitation and greed to feed a market that has no thought for the future.

So, apart from the beauty of the bones and the educational aspect, the skeletons in my illustrations are a reminder of the mortality of our wildlife heritage – and the need to celebrate it now as well as conserve it for the future…

A percentage of the proceeds from AfricAnatomy products will be donated to wildlife conservation trusts in Africa.

One trust will be chosen each year, so email us to put in a vote for your favourite trust.

Featured images: Mosaic patterned tiles by Studio Job for Bisazza; skull of young crocodile; bush pig skull (last two both property of the author).