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MEMENTO MORI

Since the Middle Ages, this phrase has evoked an awareness of mortality and impermanence. In the Baroque period, memento mori was given a great emphasis on living an exemplary pious life. It is associated with symbols of an hourglass, a skull, or a skeleton.

The exhibit represents a skull on an ornate, velvet, funeral ribbon, which is known as a funeral wreath or coffin cover. In the center of the work is a skull with a copper crown, partially covered by black tulle. A very decorative element is the wire fringe, which enhances the appearance of the mourning ribbon as a symbol of the end of life.