Giorgio de Chirico was an inspiration for the early Surrealists, and Celebes' palette and spatial construction show his influence.

Ernst's realistic portrayal of the constituent elements produces a hallucinatory effect that he associated with collage, and was trying to achieve in this painting.

The figure's round body was modeled after Robert Schomburgk's photograph of a three-legged clay guinea corn bin from a West African culture, the Konkomba.

[6] Celebes suggests "ritual and totemic sculpture of African origin", evidenced by the totem-like pole at right and the figure's bull horns.

The low horizon emphasizes the creature's bulk, and the gesture of the headless mannequin introduces the viewer to the figure.

The French poet and Surrealist Paul Éluard visited Ernst that year and purchased the painting and took it back to Paris.

The money from Penrose's sale of the painting was used to set up the grant-giving Elephant Trust which continues to administer bursaries to artists and small arts organisation in the UK.

According to Apples in Stereo frontman Robert Schneider, he chose the name because he was enchanted by the painting but misheard its title.