Knights of Pythias Exploding Desk with Sliding Skull and Crossbone Painting. Circa 1890s. Wood, metal, leather and paint. When a candidate sat down to write his impressions of a lodge initiation, a lever would be activated, a bell would ring and a skull and crossbones painting would abruptly appear startling the candidate, continuing the initiation. While the mechanism is currently not working, the painting can be affixed so the skull and crossbones are showing. Legs unscrew and two main sections of table come apart for transport. General wear with scratches, marks and scuffs in some areas. Painting has small tears in canvas upper right and two vertical tears of 2" lower right quadrant near the crossbones. Inpainting in the black. Some splits in wood on leg. Mechanism not currently in working order. Third-party transportation required. 59 x 36 x 28".