Objects

“Coffin nails” drawing

Bok, Teodor (1947-2007)

It is part of the collection

The heading GWOŹDZIE DO TRUMNY [COFFIN NAILS] above the picture in uppercase does not seem to leave much room for interpretation. However, just like Teodor Bok’s other works, this still life with nails is a play on words and their hidden meanings. It is an illustration of the common Polish idiom: ``coffin nail`` meaning "critical final decision, action that ultimately leads to failure, disaster`` (Słownik Frazeologiczny Języka Polskiego).

The nail of disappointment and failure experienced by many of us, has many names, forms and dimensions. Bok creates a suggestive still life with nails of different sizes and kinds harmoniously scattered on the sheet. Looking from the left, we see a long, narrow, slightly crooked nail with a flat head, then a tack, a bent nail, a headless nail, a nail with two stems, and another, longer one, bent in half; a bit further on – two hooks: the one near to the right edge is square-shaped at its top. So accurately drawn, our ``Coffin nails`` enclosed by a thin, red frame are not only a graphically attractive composition, but also a warning and a memento mori.

Renata Piątkowska

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Bok, Teodor (1947-2007)
Object type
drawing
Time of creation / dating
21st century
Place of creation
Kopenhagen (Denmark)
Technique
drawn
drawn
Material
paper
ink
Keywords
Copyrights status
contact the Museum
Owner
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Identification number
MPOLIN-M57
Localization
The object is not currently on display
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