Ivory model of back-to-back skull and head
- Made:
- Before 1932 in France
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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
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Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London.
Ivory model of a human skull and head, back to back, covered with worms and toads, possibly French
One side of this carved ivory head shows a human face crawling with worms; the other side shows a skull crawling with toads after the worms have eaten away at the flesh. 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. Previously death was represented as a skeleton accompanied by a living victim. The model was purchased from a private collection in Rome, Italy, in 1932.
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Ivory skullDetails
- Category:
- Anatomy & Pathology
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A129113
- Materials:
- ivory
- Measurements:
-
overall: 69 mm x 51 mm x 40 mm, .114 kg
- type:
- skull
- credit:
- Ferrando
