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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-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-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseMiniature skull, carved ivory, on brass stand
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Miniature skull, carved ivory, on brass stand
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Miniature skull, carved ivory, on brass stand
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Miniature skull, carved ivory, on brass stand, having silver guard with hinged opening, European, 1840-1920
Inside the silver cage is a roughly carved ivory skull without the lower jaw. The model was probably used as 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.
Details
- Category:
- Anatomy & Pathology
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A201368
- Materials:
- skull, ivory, stand, brass and guard, silver
- Measurements:
-
overall: 46 mm x 32 mm x 34 mm, .049 kg
- type:
- skull
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)
