German school (XX) - Vanitas, memento mori
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Selected by Giulia Santoro
Specialised in 17th century Old Master paintings and drawings with auction house experience.
Estimate € 1,000 - € 1,200
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Vanitas, memento mori, a German oil painting from the 1930–1940 period, measuring 67 by 51 cm, unsigned, in good condition.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
German school of the early twentieth century
Vanity, remember death.
Oil on canvas, from the early twentieth century, 1920/1930 (Germany)
Presentation of the painting:
The painting depicts a partially clothed skeletal figure, caught in a three-quarter pose that consciously recalls the tradition of the classical portrait. The skeleton, wrapped in a deep red drapery, wears a dark headdress adorned with a metallic element and a chain running down the side of the face, evoking a vague reference to military or ceremonial styles.
The work belongs to the long tradition of vanitas and memento mori, but it does so with an updated language and painterly freedom. Death is not depicted as a violent or macabre event, but as a silent and dignified presence, almost ennobled by the posture and clothing. The skeletal structure, rendered with anatomical care but without realist self-congratulation, emerges from the drapery as a body still “on stage,” suspended between life and dissolution.
The background, dominated by deep greens and barely hinted painterly forms, helps create a rarefied and timeless atmosphere. The brushstrokes appear freer and more material than in the previous paintings, suggesting a twentieth-century or late nineteenth-century sensibility, in which the interest is no longer the faithful quotation of the past but its symbolic reworking.
The red of the cloak takes on a strongly allusive meaning: the color of power, of blood and of passion, and here it becomes the wrapping of a body now lifeless, reinforcing the contrast between appearance and reality, between external authority and the inevitability of the end. The figure seems aware of its own condition, not a victim but a witness.
Overall, the painting is conceived as a visual meditation on identity, on time and transience, in which the language of the official portrait is emptied out and transformed into an image of unsettling immobility. A work that converses with both Symbolist painting and the Baroque tradition of the memento mori, offering the viewer a silent and profound reflection on the fragility of existence.
Dimensions: 67 x 51 cm
From a private collection
Condition: Good, with normal signs of wear – restorations present and visible on the back
* The frame shown in the photo has been used only for demonstration purposes / the frame is not included
Ideal for collecting and investing.
With a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law - Expertise
Professional packaging and insured shipping.
Seller's Story
Magnolia Arte is a company that deals with the buying and selling of artworks. Each piece is carefully selected for its artistic quality and emotional impact. In fact, Magnolia Arte believes that every work of art is a piece of cultural history, useful for understanding our present. The economic value and investment are considered secondary aspects compared to artistic and historical-cultural value. Magnolia Arte is a reference point for the auction sale of ancient, modern, and contemporary art. Magnolia is a place of art. Art enthusiasts will find professionalism and expertise here.
Translated by Google TranslateGerman school of the early twentieth century
Vanity, remember death.
Oil on canvas, from the early twentieth century, 1920/1930 (Germany)
Presentation of the painting:
The painting depicts a partially clothed skeletal figure, caught in a three-quarter pose that consciously recalls the tradition of the classical portrait. The skeleton, wrapped in a deep red drapery, wears a dark headdress adorned with a metallic element and a chain running down the side of the face, evoking a vague reference to military or ceremonial styles.
The work belongs to the long tradition of vanitas and memento mori, but it does so with an updated language and painterly freedom. Death is not depicted as a violent or macabre event, but as a silent and dignified presence, almost ennobled by the posture and clothing. The skeletal structure, rendered with anatomical care but without realist self-congratulation, emerges from the drapery as a body still “on stage,” suspended between life and dissolution.
The background, dominated by deep greens and barely hinted painterly forms, helps create a rarefied and timeless atmosphere. The brushstrokes appear freer and more material than in the previous paintings, suggesting a twentieth-century or late nineteenth-century sensibility, in which the interest is no longer the faithful quotation of the past but its symbolic reworking.
The red of the cloak takes on a strongly allusive meaning: the color of power, of blood and of passion, and here it becomes the wrapping of a body now lifeless, reinforcing the contrast between appearance and reality, between external authority and the inevitability of the end. The figure seems aware of its own condition, not a victim but a witness.
Overall, the painting is conceived as a visual meditation on identity, on time and transience, in which the language of the official portrait is emptied out and transformed into an image of unsettling immobility. A work that converses with both Symbolist painting and the Baroque tradition of the memento mori, offering the viewer a silent and profound reflection on the fragility of existence.
Dimensions: 67 x 51 cm
From a private collection
Condition: Good, with normal signs of wear – restorations present and visible on the back
* The frame shown in the photo has been used only for demonstration purposes / the frame is not included
Ideal for collecting and investing.
With a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law - Expertise
Professional packaging and insured shipping.
Seller's Story
Magnolia Arte is a company that deals with the buying and selling of artworks. Each piece is carefully selected for its artistic quality and emotional impact. In fact, Magnolia Arte believes that every work of art is a piece of cultural history, useful for understanding our present. The economic value and investment are considered secondary aspects compared to artistic and historical-cultural value. Magnolia Arte is a reference point for the auction sale of ancient, modern, and contemporary art. Magnolia is a place of art. Art enthusiasts will find professionalism and expertise here.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Artist
German school (XX)
Sold with frame
No
Title of artwork
Vanitas, memento mori
Technique
Oil painting
Signature
Not signed
Country of Origin
Germany
Year
1920
Condition
Good condition
Height
67 cm
Width
51 cm
Period
1930-1940
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