Baroque Vanitas or Memento Mori of a Skull, Bone, 17th Century

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Baroque Vanitas or Memento Mori of a Skull, Bone, 17th Century

About the Item

Vanitas or Memento Mori skull. Carved bone. 17th century. Small human skull made of bone carved in its color with a clear naturalistic intention (visible in details such as the nose, the lower area, etc.). In the Baroque, the human skull is a common element and protagonist in a series of themes: on the one hand, there are the "Vanitas" or "Memento Mori" (painting, sculpture, relief, etc., sometimes combining carving with another figure -like the ivory rosary bead from the first half of the 16th century from the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in which the skull appears combined with reptiles; Memento Mori in a private collection made in Germany in the 17th century in which a skull and a half is combined face of Christ-); on the other hand, it is not possible to forget the reliquaries with the bones of saints, very often jeweled and decorated skeletons of the Valdsassen Basilica in Waldsassen, Germany; reliquaries in churches and cathedrals; etc.); and in addition, it is necessary to remember the representations of Death in the form of a human skeleton or already decomposing body (present in all supports in tombs -Bernini, tomb of Urban VII, Saint Peter of the Vatican-), macabre dances -even from the Age Media-, allegories, etc.). Although it is true that, normally, death and these representations of human skulls associated with it usually present some lack in teeth or structure (to highlight the decay, etc.), there are also some from the Baroque period in which there are no missing teeth; note, also, that the treatment of the eye sockets is somewhat particular in the present case, and that examples are preserved in marble, wood, ivory, bone, terracotta, etc. This element (which already appears in the Renaissance as demonstrated by the account of the rosary with lovers and the death skull from circa 1500-1530 made in ivory and attributed to Chicart Bailly from Paris, which is preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art), is, quite possibly best known for his appearance in a large number of Baroque still lifes almost always titled Vanitas or Memento Mori (Pieter Claesz from 1628 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Knight's Dream or Life is a Dream by Antonio de Pereda in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando de Madrid, etc.) and for the aforementioned reliquaries, engravings, etc." Size: 4.5 x 2.5 x 4.5 cms.

Dimensions:
Height: 1.78 in (4.5 cm)Width: 0.99 in (2.5 cm)Depth: 1.78 in (4.5 cm)
Style:
Baroque (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bone,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
Europe
Period:
17th Century
Date of Manufacture:
17th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading.
Seller Location:
Madrid, ES
Reference Number:
Seller: Z4965A1stDibs: LU2951319051792