NEAPOLITAN SCHOOL, 17TH CENTURY | A PAIR OF MEMENTO MORI WITH SKULLS AND CROSSBONES

Private collection.

Memento mori means "remember you must die". This theme was popular during the 17th century when it was a common belief that life on earth was merely a preparation for the afterlife. This pair of skulls convey an immediate sense of realism through the artist's mastery of light, which accentuates each distinctive feature of the bones that are strategically placed against a dark background. Similar memento mori, which could have served as inspiration for this pair, appear as details in both Caravaggio's Saint Jerome from 1608 in Saint John's Co-Cathedral and Museum, Valletta¹ and Ribera's Saint Paul the Hermit from 1635-40 in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.² 

1. Oil on canvas, 117 by 157 cm. See https://www.stjohnscocathedral.com/caravaggio-paintings/

2. Oil on canvas, 118 x 98 cm. See https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/obra-de-arte/san-pablo-ermitao/034011e2-0773-4f0c-ab86-7d5cf2723a25