German school (XX) - Vanitas, memento mori
11
days
20
hours
41
minutes
01
second
Starting bid
€ 1
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Giulia Santoro
Specialised in 17th century Old Master paintings and drawings with auction house experience.
Estimate € 1,000 - € 1,200
No bids placed
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 127726 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Oil on canvas titled 'Vanitas, memento mori' by the German School (XX), dated 1920 from the period 1930-1940, measuring 67 x 51 cm, in good condition, unsigned.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
German School of the early twentieth century
“Vanitas, memento mori”
Oil on canvas, early twentieth century 1920/1930 (Germany)
Presentation of the painting:
The painting depicts a partially clothed skeletal figure, captured 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 that descends along the side of the face, evoking a vague reference to military or ceremonial forms.
The work enters the long tradition of vanitas and memento mori, but does so with an updated, painterly free language. Death is not depicted as a violent or macabre event, but as a quiet and dignified presence, almost ennobled by the posture and clothing. The skeletal structure, rendered with anatomical care but without realist self-satisfaction, emerges from the drapery as a body still “on stage,” suspended between life and dissolution.
The background, dominated by deep greens and lightly suggested painterly forms, contributes to an atmosphere that is ethereal and timeless. The brushwork appears 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 faithful quotation of the past but its symbolic reworking.
The red of the mantle takes on a strongly allusive value: the color of power, blood, and passion, it becomes here the sheath of a body now devoid of life, strengthening the contrast between appearance and truth, between exterior authority and the inevitability of death. The figure seems aware of its condition, not a victim but a witness.
Overall, the painting is configured as a visual meditation on identity, time, and the transience of life, in which the language of official portraiture is emptied and transformed into an image of disturbing stillness. An work that dialogues with both Symbolist painting and the Baroque tradition of 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 aging - restorations present and visible on the back
* the frame shown in the photo has been used for illustrative purposes only / frame not present
Ideal for collecting and investment
With a legally compliant certificate of authenticity - Expertise
Professional packing 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
“Vanitas, memento mori”
Oil on canvas, early twentieth century 1920/1930 (Germany)
Presentation of the painting:
The painting depicts a partially clothed skeletal figure, captured 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 that descends along the side of the face, evoking a vague reference to military or ceremonial forms.
The work enters the long tradition of vanitas and memento mori, but does so with an updated, painterly free language. Death is not depicted as a violent or macabre event, but as a quiet and dignified presence, almost ennobled by the posture and clothing. The skeletal structure, rendered with anatomical care but without realist self-satisfaction, emerges from the drapery as a body still “on stage,” suspended between life and dissolution.
The background, dominated by deep greens and lightly suggested painterly forms, contributes to an atmosphere that is ethereal and timeless. The brushwork appears 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 faithful quotation of the past but its symbolic reworking.
The red of the mantle takes on a strongly allusive value: the color of power, blood, and passion, it becomes here the sheath of a body now devoid of life, strengthening the contrast between appearance and truth, between exterior authority and the inevitability of death. The figure seems aware of its condition, not a victim but a witness.
Overall, the painting is configured as a visual meditation on identity, time, and the transience of life, in which the language of official portraiture is emptied and transformed into an image of disturbing stillness. An work that dialogues with both Symbolist painting and the Baroque tradition of 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 aging - restorations present and visible on the back
* the frame shown in the photo has been used for illustrative purposes only / frame not present
Ideal for collecting and investment
With a legally compliant certificate of authenticity - Expertise
Professional packing 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
Sold by
