Rheinhold Monkey with Skull Miniature Statue – Pocket Art Parastone

Philosophizing Monkey — Knowledge, Mortality, and Irony

This Monkey with Skull statue is a faithful miniature museum-scale reproduction of Monkey Holding Skull (Affe mit Schädel, 1892–1893), created by German sculptor Wolfgang Hugo Rheinhold. The piece is part of the Parastone Mouseion 3D Collection of miniature museum replicas and captures the wit, symbolism, and intellectual tension that made the original sculpture famous.

• Part of the Parastone Mouseion 3D Museum Collection (PN PA09RHE)
• Monkey with Skull Statue is made from resin with a hand-applied bronze finish
• Comes in a gift presentation box
• Measures 3 5/8 in H × 1 7/8 in W × 2 1/4 in D
• Statue weight: 6 oz · Statue with box: 11 oz
• Other sizes of this sculpture are available: RHE01 & RHE03

Monkey Holding Skull (Affe mit Schädel), 1892–1893

The original bronze sculpture, often called the Philosophizing Monkey sculpture, caused a sensation when it was exhibited at the Berlin Art Exhibition of 1893. It was Rheinhold’s first public work as a professional sculptor and proved to be an immediate commercial and critical success. The Berlin bronze foundry H. Gladenbeck & Sohn produced multiple authorized versions, helping to spread the sculpture’s fame across Europe.

In the composition, a seated monkey perches atop a stack of books while contemplating a human skull. One volume bears the Biblical phrase Eritis Sicut Deus (Genesis III:5), meaning “Thou shalt be as God,” referencing the serpent’s temptation of Eve. Another book is labeled Darwin, a clear nod to Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

Through these layered symbols, Rheinhold created a visual meditation on science, religion, evolution, and human ambition. The monkey—humanity’s biological cousin—becomes the thinker, while the skull reminds the viewer of mortality and the limits of knowledge. The Monkey with Skull statue is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Darwin’s Mistake, though this was never Rheinhold’s original title.

About the Artist: Wolfgang Hugo Rheinhold (1853–1900)

Wolfgang Hugo Rheinhold was born in 1853 in Oberlahnstein, Prussia, the son of a prosperous Jewish merchant. His family name was altered on official documents, likely as a protection against antisemitic discrimination. In 1874, Rheinhold traveled to San Francisco to pursue a career in international trade, but after personal tragedy, he returned to Germany and turned to philosophy.

Rheinhold did not begin formal artistic training until his early thirties. He studied under sculptors Max Kruse and Ernst Herter and later attended the Berlin Academy of Arts. Although his sculptural career was brief, his work was intellectually ambitious. His most significant sculpture, Am Wege, is a life-size marble depicting a grieving mother nursing her child. Today, Monkey Holding Skull (Monkey with Skull statue) remains his most recognized and enduring work, admired for its blend of humor, symbolism, and philosophical depth.