Skull shaped coral, Southern Italy, 18th century

Altezza x larghezza x profondità: 3 x 2,5 x 3 cm. Peso: 21 gr.

"Memento Mori" Vanitas represented by a Red Mediterranean coral (Corallum Rubrum) skull carved in the round; in the upper side a ring.

A vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death.
The skull was the symbol of death from the 1500s onwards; previously death was represented as a skeleton. Skulls were very popular in the Baroque period and were not only an essential part of any Wonderland Room (Wunderkammer), but also acted as contemplative reminders of mortality.