Memento Mori head
Head
1450-1500 (carving)
1450-1500 (carving)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The belief in universal judgement after death encouraged the production of objects that would act as a memento mori, or reminder of mortality. Good conduct depended to some extent on the knowledge that death awaited everyone. This head, possibly from a rosary, shows a young woman on one side and a skull on the other.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Memento Mori head (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | carved rock crystal |
| Brief description | Carved rock crystal Momento Mori |
| Physical description | The head shows on one side the face of a young woman with her hair parted in the middle, and on the other a death's head, the lower jaw which is broken way. Either by accident or design the girl's head may be seen reflected in the eye sockets of the skull. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mr C.G. Cooper |
| Object history | The object was formerly in the collection of C.G. Cooper. Historical significance: This small rock crystal carving conveys one of the most profound themes of the late Middle Ages, serving as a memento mori, a reminder of the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. |
| Historical context | The crystal head was probably originally mounted with a loop for suspension. It would probably have been a pendant of a rosary. It has been suggested that it was made in the fifteenth century in France, probably in Paris where the carving of rock crystal flourished from the thirteenth century onwards. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The belief in universal judgement after death encouraged the production of objects that would act as a memento mori, or reminder of mortality. Good conduct depended to some extent on the knowledge that death awaited everyone. This head, possibly from a rosary, shows a young woman on one side and a skull on the other. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.48-1935 |
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| Record created | December 19, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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