Hourglass Filled with Human Skulls

Subject & Scenario — Hourglass is the primary object, a clear blown-glass hourglass set on a worn wooden pedestal in an indoor dark alcove, tiny human skulls cascade through the narrow neck instead of sand, intended for a moody poster or wallpaper about mortality and the passage of time, late evening ambiance.

Look & Materials — Glass surface is ultra-clear with thin machining blemishes and faint etching around the rim, skulls are small ivory bone with fine sutures, porous pores, hairline cracks and subtle staining, wooden pedestal shows old lacquer wear and dented edges, narrow neck shows gentle polish wear where skulls rub the glass.

Focus & Fidelity — Center bulb plane is tack-sharp with crisp silhouette of the foremost skulls and visible sutures, microdetail on bone texture preserved with natural pore structure, shallow depth of field isolates the bulbs while keeping the pedestal readable, no motion blur on any skull faces and stable contours throughout.

Lighting & Color Mapping — Directional soft rim from the upper left with cool near-shadow side and a warmer subtle fill from the warm floor reflection, contrast is high but highlights are controlled and not blown, dominant cool near-black environment maps to background, bone ivory is the primary midtone, and deep crimson appears as a distant accent in reflected varnish.

Environment & Props — Small stone alcove with arched niche and matte dark plaster walls, faint dust motes in the air for depth, one worn leather-bound book and a tarnished brass key placed beside the pedestal as supporting props that reinforce the vanitas narrative without competing with the hourglass.

Camera & Composition — Eye-level vantage slightly above the midline, short-tele feel that compresses depth and emphasizes the falling skulls, three-quarter crop keeping the hourglass centered with top third negative space, leading lines of the pedestal and niche draw the eye to the neck, horizon implied low in frame for monumentality.

Style & Medium — Photorealistic still-life rendering with physically plausible material shaders for glass and bone, micro-normal detail on bone surfaces and subtle anisotropic sheen on varnish, high-quality optical realism with clean shadow transitions and rich midtone micro-contrast suitable for print or large-screen wallpaper.

Text & Constraints — "no visible text". Avoid rendering extra fingers, watermark, on-frame lighting gear, studio stands, brand logos, or nonsense glyphs.