Late 19th c. Signed Memento Mori Painting c.1883
ABOUT
Untitled. An original signed 19th century acrylic Memento Mori painting. Signed "A. Vander Gracht, 1883 Gent". This piece has retained its original finish.
- CREATOR A. Vander Gracht.
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DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1883.
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MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Acrylic on Canvas.
- CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Paint flaking in two areas on the left. Break in lower right under book. Small puncture under candle.
- DIMENSIONS H 19.75 in. W 23.75 in. D 1 in.
HISTORY
From approximately the sixteenth century, skulls were commonly used to remember death as they symbolise the transience of human life. Memento Mori literal Latin translation means remember that you [have to] die. The concept has its roots in the philosophers of classical antiquity, and appeared in funeral art and architecture of the medieval period. Memento Mori jewellery with skull or coffin motifs became popular in the late 16th century, and it was reflected in the artistic genre of vanitas, where symbolic objects such as hourglasses and wilting flowers signified the impermanence of human life.
