"Memento Mori"
Oil on canvas
Lombard School of the 17th Century
Canvas 46 x 40 cm
Frame 52 x 45 cm
Excellent condition
The painting has been cleaned and relined.
"Memento mori" or "Remember that you must die" is one of the most powerful expressions of Latin thought and the human condition. Born as a political and military warning to emperors and great war triumphant, it later transformed into an ethical and spiritual principle: remembering death to give more value to life. "Memento mori" is not an invitation to resignation, but to awareness. Remembering death means learning to live, seizing the present, recognizing what truly matters, without wasting time.
The expressive power of "memento mori" has influenced literature, art, music, and even popular culture. In Renaissance and Baroque art, still lifes with skulls and hourglasses represented the inexorable passage of time.
Today, "memento mori" has become a motto used to remember the fragility of life and the importance of living with sound moral principles and good intentions.
This attractive and evocative work presents the most significant symbols of fleeting time, which carries us mortals towards the inevitable end of our existence. A naked, supine infant sleeps on a red cushion, resting its head on a skull next to an hourglass. The author, despite the dramatic message, depicts the scene with extremely vibrant colors, where the predominant red contrasts with the deep theme of the painting, conveying stimulating and positive sensations.
We issue a legal certificate of authenticity that guarantees the period, provenance, and all the characteristics of the work.
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