This object was made as part of the action ‘Friday Object “First Class Fried Fish Bones”’, performed with Daniel Spoerri at the Eat Art Galerie in Düsseldorf on Friday 30 October, 1970. As the title suggests, the object makes reference to the crucifixion of Christ (whose symbol was the fish), to the act of penance and to the elevation of overlooked and usually discarded objects (fish bones). Food was an important medium for Beuys - he made works using butter, chocolate, bread and sausage, with the inevitable decaying process an integral part of the objects he created. The works also reflect the idea of art as providing intellectual nourishment. This is one of the artist’s multiple objects, from a relatively small edition of twenty-five.