German school (XX) - Memento Mori, Vanitas

Antique German School oil painting, from the early 1900s, depicting a Memento Mori or "Vanitas" with Skull, Flowers and Books.

In paintings, memento mori (remember you must die) and vanitas (vanity, emptiness) are admonitions on the transience of life. They invite reflection on the brevity of earthly existence, on the futility of power and wealth, and on the inevitability of death.

Painters used objects loaded with allegorical meaning to convey this message: Skull or skeleton: The direct symbol of death and the end of the body.
Withered flowers or rotting fruit: Allude to beauty that withers and the body that decays.
Jewels, coins and books of science or art: Mark the vanity of riches and worldly knowledge in the face of eternity.

The painting was made on a wooden panel, with intense and well-defined colors, creating a very evocative atmosphere. It is accompanied by a frame, encased in an oval gold frame contemporary with the period.

Signed at the bottom with the initials "SH".

Presented in Excellent condition, a very beautiful subject, and ready to hang!

Measurements: 40x32.5 cm.

All will be well packaged and protected, shipping via courier with tracking.