Gold and crystal slide, a memento mori of a skeleton supported by 2 cherubs, with initials J.S. and inscribed "Come ye Blessed"
Jewellery like this brooch is associated with mourning. Objects such as these were called memento mori, or ‘reminder of death’. The skeleton holding an hourglass reminded the wearer of the shortness of their life. Two cherubs sounding trumpets sit either side of the skeleton. The black and gold base may represent a coffin - another reminder of death. The initials 'JS' are stiched into the cloth. The initials belong to the person that this memento mori was made in memory of.
Details
- Category:
- Wellcome (general)
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A642146
- Measurements:
-
overall: 18 mm x 20 mm x 6 mm, .004 kg
- type:
- memento mori, human hair and human remains
- credit:
- Sotheby's
