1593 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The theme of Death is a common one in ornament, mainly but not exclusively used for funerals and memorials. Skeletons, skulls, hourglasses, scythes and spades are among the objects most frequently employed to remind the onlooker of the fate that awaits us all. The skeleton, with its ‘dust to dust’ message, suggests an actual personification of Death, though he does not carry his usual scythe and hourglass.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
| Brief description | Print on the theme of death, engraving by Johann Theodore de Bry, Belgium or the Netherlands, 1593 |
| Physical description | Print showing a skeleton pointing at an engraved stone with the words 'dust to dust' in French |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | The theme of Death is a common one in ornament, mainly but not exclusively used for funerals and memorials. Skeletons and skulls, hourglasses, scythes and spades are amongst the objects most frequently used to remind the onlooker of the fate that awaits us all. The de Bry emblem (25247), in the form of a mock heraldric device (case 31), is from this Emblemata Nobilitati et Nobilitati de Vulgo Scitu Digna. The Dieu skeleton (29468.8) with its 'dust to dust' message suggests an actual personification of Death, though he does not carry his usual scythe and hourglass. (Please note that the museum numbers have swapped in this label information. RK 24.11.05) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The theme of Death is a common one in ornament, mainly but not exclusively used for funerals and memorials. Skeletons, skulls, hourglasses, scythes and spades are among the objects most frequently employed to remind the onlooker of the fate that awaits us all. The skeleton, with its ‘dust to dust’ message, suggests an actual personification of Death, though he does not carry his usual scythe and hourglass. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 25247 |
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| Record created | July 20, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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