But bosses at Polish casket company said: "A coffin shouldn't be a sacred object - it's the last bed you'll ever sleep in - it isn't a religious symbol"
This bizarre calendar shoot of topless models caressing coffins is set to become a global hit - despite strict opposition from the Catholic Church.
Polish casket company Lindner devised a unique way to brighten up their gloomy creations by draping them with sexy nude women.
But its creators deny its a cheap attempt to flog coffins, claiming it is intended to show the strength, energy and elegance of women.
April’s photo for example shows two buxom girls standing in front of an upright coffin, with one of the models holding a cup of tea.
At the bottom of the picture is a man with another cup of tea balanced on top of his head.
November shows a naked brunette straddling a coffin, the lid of which is half open with a man’s hands clutching the lid and the side of the coffin.
March has a naked woman tied to the top of a coffin with a ribbon being held by a man’s hand.
Spokesman for the company Bartek Lindner said: "Every edition is different and when we have too many women, female customers complain. But when we have too many men, male customers complain.
"So here we have men and women in one calendar as a compromise."
He added that the significance of the coffin has a deeper meaning as when one spouse dies the coffin is a symbol of separation, but the photos show that it could be otherwise.
The photos were taken in the tourist city of Krakow, in southern Poland, voted this year as Britain’s top foreign destination in a survey carried out by consumer magazine Which.
The firm's owner Zbigniew Lindner said: "My son had the idea of creating the company's calendar so that we could show something half-serious, colourful, beautiful; the beauty of Polish girls and the beauty of our coffins."
"So much work goes into our coffins that are only seen for a few moments at the funeral."
Lindner added: "We wanted to show that a coffin shouldn't be a sacred object - it's furniture, it's the last bed you'll ever sleep in. It isn't a religious symbol. It's a product."
"Why are people afraid of coffins and not of business suits, cosmetics or jewellery?"
The Catholic church in Poland has labelled the campaign inappropriate.
A church spokesman has said that human death should be treated with solemnity and not mixed up with sex.
