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Allegory of Vanity, by Pereda (1634, c.)
The painting depicts a female angel holding a globe and a portrait in front of two tables filled with objects. On the left, there are seven skulls piled up near a rifle, armor, candle and hourglass. On the right there is a gold and ornate clock,…
Allegory on Death, by Andreani (1620, c.)
This image represents the wheel of death, and includes several elements, such as human remains and parcae. Although the figures that appear on the wheel of death are male figures of power, the dualism of gender appears in the two differentiated…
Alms-box in Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte, by Unknown (1575, c.)
A skeleton with wings holds an hourglass with wings while sitting on a pedestal. Its intimate parts are covered by a shroud. The skeleton looks at a man lying on the floor naked with a shroud covering his intimate parts as he is writing.
An Allegorical Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, by English School (1610, c.)
This painting represents Queen Elizabeth I sitting and with her head resting on her right hand. Two cherubs appear above her head holding a crown, an old man (Old Father Time) appears on the left, and a skeleton with an hourglass appears on the…
Back to back with Death, by several authors (1500, c.)
Images 1-6 show two sculptures, the first one carved in wood, the second one in ivory. They both represent sensual female figures that are attached to skeletons as their doppelgangers. Notice the absence of any remains of the breasts in the…
Charnel house, by Rint (1870)
These images show the Ossuary in the Cemetery Church of All Saints, located in Kutná Hora, Sedlec (Czechia). In this Ossuary, one can see thousands of human bones arranged as ornaments, including a chandelier (images 1 and 2) and a coat of arms…
Cheerful company disturbed by death, by Borch (1660)
Original title: Vrolijk gezelschap dat door de dood wordt gestoord ("Cheerful company disturbed by death").This painting represents a banquet, where some of the guests are humans, and others are skeletons. Most of the skeletons on the left seem to…
Coat of Arms with a Skull, by Dürer (1503)
"In this stunning engraving, Dürer recast the theme of memento mori in a brilliantly unusual form. The woman in patrician dress is identified by her crown as a bride, but the person who embraces her from behind is a wild man. This traditional figure…
Corpses in an Open Grave, by Limbourg Brothers (1405, c.)
"This mysterious cemetery scene accompanies the section of theBelles Heures known as the Office of the Dead, a standard feature of a book of hours. By praying the Office of the Dead on a daily basis, the living commemorated departed loved ones and…
Cover of an edition of Vesalius' De Humani Corporis fabrica Epitome, with annotations by Fontani (1642)
The illustration on the cover of this edition shows two naked children on the top of the illustration with two skulls next to them. In the center, a man on the left and a skeleton on the right hold a cloth with the title of the book. The bottom…