"Memento Mori", Vanitas represented by an elephant ivory skull (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797 or Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758) carved in the full round and encircled by a crown.
A vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. The skull was the symbol of death from the 1500s onwards; previously death was represented as a skeleton. Skulls were very popular in the Baroque period and were not only an essential part of any Chamber of Wonders (Wunderkammer), but also acted as contemplative reminders of mortality.
Height x width x depth: 5 x 5.5 x 5.2 cm. Weight: 98 g.
Item condition grading: **** good.
Accompanied by CITES certificate.
This lot is available for sale only with shipments within the European Union; the CITES certificate for export outside the European Community can only be requested for lots sold to museums.
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