Ivory model of a skull on wooden pedestal

Made:
before 1928 in Europe
Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones

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Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Ivory model of a skull, on crossed bones, mounted on a wooden pedestal

Carved from a single piece of ivory, the model of a human skull sits upon crossbones. Not much is known about this model, but it is thought that it is a memento mori – literally a reminder of death and the shortness of life. (The skull was the symbol of death from the 1500s onwards.) The object was part of the private collection of Dr Noel Hamonic (d. 1928), purchased by Henry Wellcome in July 1928 for £803. Another part of the collection had been purchased in June 1928.

Details

Category:
Anatomy & Pathology
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A121775
Materials:
ivory and wood
Measurements:
overall: 95 mm x 38 mm x 45 mm, .054 kg
type:
skull
credit:
Loan, Wellcome Trust