Vanitas in carved and engraved boxwood, in the shape of a skull, Italy 1700.

A Memento Mori in wood with Chrismon, monogram of Christ. Valuable sculpture in fruit wood in almost true-to-life measurements, sculpted with art and finished with a wealth of detail...

Oil painting on iron plate, depicting a Vanitas with skull and fruit. Octagonal frame in interlocking ebonized wood with flaring to match the painting and gold profiling on lead. Ita...

A natural specimen from Wunderkammer: a crocodile skull. The wooden column base is decorated on the upper edge. A metal bar supports the crocodile skull. Italy circa 1870.

A Grand Tour carved boxwood seal depicting Hercules with a square iron matrix. Italy mid 18th century.

Rare and finely carved skull, dating from the late 19th century, sculpted with remarkable anatomical precision and craftsmanship. The piece reflects the tradition of memento mori ob...

A fantastic vintage Boho carved skull. An abstract composition with beautiful wood grain detail. Acquired from a Palm Beach estate.

A rare and highly evocative European memento mori terracotta sculpture depicting a human skull resting upon a rocky outcrop, entwined with serpents and surmounted by a distinctive lock of hair. Dating from the late 17th to early 18th century, the piece is likely of German origin. Beautifully modelled and painted in naturalistic tones, the skull is rendered in warm earthy hues, contrasting with the dark green serpents that coil through and around the cranium. The rocky base is finished in rich brown tones, enhancing the sculpture's dramatic presence and symbolic depth. Memento mori, Latin for “remember that you must die,” was a powerful artistic and philosophical motif throughout Europe, serving as a reminder of the transience of earthly life and the certainty of mortality. Here, the skull embodies death, decay, and the fleeting nature of human existence, while the entwined serpents symbolise transformation, renewal, healing, and the eternal cycle of life. Together they create a compelling allegory of mortality and rebirth, where death itself becomes a gateway to regeneration. A striking and unusual example of early European memento mori art...

Highly Decorative Wood African Mask