"Memento Mori" Gouache (1) - Glass, Wood, Paper - Early 19th century

Memento mori trompe l'oeil, depicting a landscape with architectural elements. In the middle of a Roman arched window there are two characters, a man and a woman, with a small tree in their hands. On the windowsill there’s a bottle, some glasses and some fruit; in the background are some cypress trees. The gouache deceives the viewer and represents a skull: the female figures show the recess of the eyes, the tree is the recess of the nose, the fruit, the glass and the bottle the teeth. The cypress trees in the background remind of the cemetery. Signed in the bottom right and dated 1817. Condition: colour loss top and bottom. The gouache rests on a wooden tablet, enclosed by glass, with an old frame of gilded wood. Missing gilding on the frame. Dimensions: 33 x 27. 5 x 2 cm