Axial Commons Image Treasury

Vanitas and Memento Mori

Skulls, hourglasses and candles: reminders that life is short.

Vanitas y memento mori · Vanitas e memento mori · 126 images

Painting of a woman in a red gown gazing into a crystal ball beside a skull and open book, with an arched window and trees behind.The Crystal BallPainting of an old man in a skullcap seated by a bright window beside a spiral staircase, with a figure tending a fire in the shadowy lower right corner.Philosopher in MeditationPainting of skulls, a jawbone, an hourglass, books and a candle on a dark table, with pink flowers at the lower right.Vanitas stillevenPainted panel of the Virgin and Child enthroned under a green canopy, with three male saints and a kneeling white-robed monk before a Gothic window.Tronende madonna met de heiligen Hieronymus en Johannes de Doper en een knielende kartuizePainted portrait of a man with a dark moustache and grey skullcap, head turned left, wearing a grey jacket, against a pale textured background.Portrait of Etienne-Lucien MartinDark still life painting of a skull on sheet music beside a violin, open book, quill in inkwell, and hourglass.Vanitas stillevenOil portrait of a bearded man in a black fur-trimmed cloak and white lace ruff, hand on chest, with an open book beside him.Portrait of Johannes WtenbogaertVanitas still life with a gold crown, gilded goblet, pearl strands, open books and globes on a draped table in dim light.Vanitas stillevenEtching of a woman reaching over a fire beside monstrous creatures and a skull at night, with a Latin inscription below.A witch at her cauldron surrounded by monsters. Etching by Jan van de Velde II, 1626.Painting of a skull and upper skeleton with a lit cigarette between its teeth, set against a dark background.Skull of a Skeleton with Burning CigaretteElderly bearded man in red robe at a desk with a skull, open book, scroll, and red hat, with a crucifix at left.De heilige HieronymusPainted skull in three-quarter profile on a yellow and green brushstroked background.SkullOlder man in black robe and white collar, wearing a dark skullcap, holding a sheet of paper and quill against a dark background.Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol (born about 1599, died 1671 or later)Coloured aquatint of a skeleton with a torch leading fashionably dressed people through a vaulted crypt lined with skulls.The dance of death: the vision of skulls. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.Engraving of a skeleton dressed as a fashionable woman with a feathered hat and long gown, holding a sprig, with angels above and a town below.A skeleton as a fashionably dressed woman. Engraving attributed to Gerhard Altzenbach, 16-Painting of the crucifixion: Christ on a cross between the Virgin in pink and violet at left and Saint John in red and green at right, with a skull below.The Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint JohnEngraving of a woman in a flowered headdress beside a curly-haired companion, with a winged helmet crest and a skull on a shield in the foreground.Coat of Arms of VanitasPainted bust portrait of an old bearded man in a dark skullcap, head turned left, looking down against a dim gray background.Head of an Old Man in a CapPainting of a melancholic woman leaning on a desk beside a skull, with a globe, armillary sphere, and dog's head nearby in a dim room.MelancholiaPainting of a sleeping woman in red with a skull in her lap, an old woman holding a gold dish of jewels at left, and a winged angel at right.The Temptation of the MagdalenePainting of a nude hero with a bow facing a many-headed serpent on a rock column, with a sunset over the sea and a reclining nude figure in the foreground.Hercules and the Lernaean HydraPainting of a young man in a brown hooded monk's habit, looking downward, face softly lit against a dark background.Titus as a MonkGold-ground panel painting of the crucifixion: Christ on a cross at center, grieving figures in red and blue robes, and helmeted soldiers at the sides.The CrucifixionOil portrait of a bearded elderly man in black gown, white ruff and skullcap, seated in a wooden chair beside an open book on a table.Reverend Johannes ElisonPanel painting of an enthroned older woman reading, with a younger woman and child, surrounded by a friar, kneeling donors, nuns and angels.De heilige Anna te Drieën met stichters en heiligenStill life with a skull, lit candle, stacked books, handwritten music sheets, quill and inkwell on a dark table against an ochre wall.Vanitas stilleven met boekenWoodcut of a skeleton holding an hourglass beside a seated elderly man in a fur-trimmed robe who looks downward, with a bare tree behind.An elderly man taunted by a skeleton, as he sits and ponders in a vanitas conceit. WoodcutPainting of a vanitas still life: a marble youth statue, skull, glass, violin, lute, sketchbook and armor on a dark draped table and floor.Vanitas stilleven met de DoornuittrekkerDark still life painting of a skull, violin, books, globe, candlestick and open book on a ledge.Vanitas stillevenStill life painting of a plumed helmet, armour, a blue sash, open books, a bugle and a crozier on a stone ledge, with an arch and sky at left.Vanitas stillevenHand-coloured caricature of a lecturer in a green coat holding a skull, surrounded by five men, with shelves of skulls and busts behind.Franz Joseph Gall leading a discussion on phrenology with five colleagues, among his extenBlack and white print of a bald caricatured lecturer holding a skull, surrounded by men and shelves of skulls and busts.Franz Joseph Gall leading a discussion on phrenology with five colleagues, among his extenElderly bearded man in a dark gown and skullcap seated in a wooden chair, one hand on his chest, against a dark brown background.Portrait of Eleazar SwalmiusWoodcut of skeletal Death on a horse riding over fallen people in a city street, with fleeing townspeople and German verse below.Nieuwe DodendansWood engraving of a skeleton in a tailcoat bowing to a seated skeleton woman in a ruffled gown, titled The Arsenic Waltz, from Punch 1862.A skeleton gentleman at a ball asks a skeleton lady to dance; representing the effect of aBald old man in grey robe kneels in prayer before a table with books and candlesticks, beneath a red curtain.St. JeromeMezzotint of a bald, bespectacled man in a fur-collared robe touching a skull with one finger against a dark background.A bald phrenologist with a large forehead examining a skull, in a 'vanitas' pose. MezzotinPainting of a central nude wounded figure flanked by two bearded older men in a rocky landscape, with a skull on the ground at right.The Meditation on the PassionDaniel praying with hands clasped, surrounded by lions in a dark cave, with bones and a skull on the ground.Surrounded by lions, Daniel prays for his life. Coloured mezzotint by W. Ward, 1794, afterWoman in white satin dress in a stone window niche with a skull on a book, roses, a potted plant and a red patterned carpet.Allegory of TransienceSepia print of a street revolt: a tall man in a long coat points forward, a flag waves, figures lie on the ground, and German verse captions run along the bottom.Nieuwe DodendansColoured caricature of a phrenology lecture: a man in a dark coat points at a bust while listeners sit before a table of plaster heads and skulls.George Combe lecturing on phrenology, portrayed with protuberances on his head. Coloured lDark vanitas still life: a skull, a flower vase, oranges, a pocket watch and a letter on a marble ledge, with a sunflower at right.Vanitas stillevenEtching of two men playing cards at a table as a skeleton and a horned winged devil loom behind them, with Latin text below.DodendansPainting of a robed hermit seated on rocks beside a windswept tree, with a distant shoreline and stormy clouds under a glowing sky.Landschap met de heilige Bruno?Watercolour of a barber-surgeon in a red hat working on a seated patient's head in a room lined with jars and bottles.A barber-surgeon extracting stones from a woman's head; symbolising the expulsion of 'follDark vanitas still life with a skull, veiled globe, violin, music sheet on lace, candle, and white and red flowers on a table.Vanitas stillevenPainting of a skull in greens and grays with a loose yellow brushstroke halo against a pale background.SkullBrown chiaroscuro woodcut of an arched architectural frame with a central wheel of fortune, skeletons at each side, and seated figures and a skull at the top.Triumph of Death with three fates in an architectural frame above a wheel of fortune flankEngraving of a bearded conjurer with a wand over an open book, beside a brazier, with horned demons in smoke and a kneeling man at lower left.A conjurer casting spells with his wand and fire surrounded by a kneeling man and demons wHand-coloured etching of a woman, half dressed in blue gown and half skeleton, beside an inscribed obelisk, with a skull and bone at her feet.A woman shown half as clothed human being and half as skeleton. Coloured etching, 17--.Engraving of a large skull wreathed in flowers between two candles, with an hourglass and sundial, and a reclining skeleton below.A skull, a skeleton, candles and other symbols of mortality. Engraving attributed to G. AlPainting of a musical company: a young woman reading at a table, a turbaned man playing a viol, a young man with a harp, and an older woman in shadow behind them.Musical CompanyWood engraving of a man reclining in a carved chair, facing a standing skeleton beside a table with books and a lantern in a paneled room.A jester contemplates a skeleton. Wood engraving after Paul Stade, 1884.Etching of a nude man suspended horizontally beside a standing nude woman, with a huge horned goat, two cats, a skull and a pot below.A couple hovering off the ground being observed by a huge goat with two cats. Etching by FColored woodcut of a seated rich man in a fur-trimmed robe, with a skeleton Death in a niche, a clock, hourglass, coffin and skull.De rijke man en de DoodPainting of a bald, bearded old man reading at a stone table in a rocky arch, with a skull, a lion at lower right, and a distant landscape.St JeromeEngraving of a melancholic figure in draped robes leaning on a skull beside an armillary sphere, with an open book and a dog in the foreground.Recueil d'estampes d'après les plus beaux tableaux et d'après les plus beaux desseins qui Hand-colored 1816 aquatint of an apothecary shop with jars, a crowd at left, a skeleton at right, and a seated man in a hat.The dance of death: the apothecary. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.Painted fantasy landscape with a carved stone monument topped by a reclining statue, a cardinal in red and crowds of figures in the foreground.Fantasy Landscape with Saint Charles BorromeoEtching of a huge horned goat behind a nude man kicking one leg up while a nude woman holds his head, with two cats, a skull and a pot below.A couple hovering off the ground being observed by a huge goat with two cats. Etching by FBlack-and-white engraving of a sorrowful elderly man seated beside a skull and hourglass, with a German inscription beneath.An elderly man with a skull and an hourglass, representing the misery of old age. EngravinDark still life painting of a skull, hourglass, metal lantern and open handwritten book on a ledge, with a red drape at right.Vanitas stillevenTriptych painting: Crucifixion scene at center with Mary and saints, side panels show standing saints and kneeling men against a landscape.The Crucifixion with Saints and a DonorDrawing of a standing nude man with folded arms beside a reclining winged figure among skulls, with a framed verse above in calligraphic script.(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Last ManDrawing of a songbird perched on a skull, surrounded by swirling grey bands, scattered petals, and a banner reading Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Omar's EmblemBlack and cream woodcut of a bare-chested man with raised arms beside a large feathered bird, with swirling lines and skulls below.IcarusBrown and orange woodcut of a nude figure under a huge dark bird wing, with tangled lines and skulls below.IcarusEngraving of a nude woman standing on a skull, holding a mirror, with trees and a castle in the background.Memento MoriEtching of a reclining soldier, a bearded magician, and a woman with a flowered wreath around a burning skull beside a stone pillar.A Magician, A Soldier, and Three Figures Watching a Burning Skull, from ScherziPainting of a bearded young man in a dark skullcap and brown cloak, set against a shadowy brown background.Portrait of a Young Man with Beard and SkullcapEngraving of a skull on a stone ledge with bones, a reclining skeleton below, and Latin and Greek inscriptions framing the scene.VanitasKneeling friar in a brown habit with bare feet reads an open book beside a skull in a dark, rocky cave lit by a single warm light.Saint Francis of Assisi PrayingEngraving of a reclining nude woman on a draped bed, with a mirror, a table of objects, standing figures, and Latin text above and below.VanitasStill life painting of open books, a brass candlestick, two globes, a trumpet and a hat on a draped table, with a striped curtain behind.A Vanitas Still Life with a Flag, Candlestick, Musical Instruments, Books, Writing ParaphePainted portrait of an elderly white-bearded man in a black skullcap and dark fur-collared robe with a gold chain, against a dark olive background.Bust of an Old ManPanoramic painting of skeletons and living figures in dark clothing dancing in a line along a hilltop under a pale evening sky.The Dance of DeathEtching of skeletons and two men playing cards at a table, framed by columns with two philosophers, with Latin text below.DodendansEngraving of musicians under a vine trellis, including a seated figure with a donkey, a keyboard instrument, a kneeling singer and a horn player. Latin caption below.Emblemata Saecularia, 1596Grey lithograph of a human skull seen from the front, with printed labels above and below naming two different skulls.The skull of the painter Raphael: frontal view. Lithograph by Engelmann after C.P. Mazer.Engraved rococo vignette: a seated woman beside a beehive, with a skull, lute, sickle and horn in the foreground and trees behind.Vignet met allegorie met symbolen van overvloed en vergankelijkheidEngraving of three skulls marked with numbered oval zones for phrenology, two side views above and a top view below, on aged paper.Three perspectives of a skull sectioned and numbered according to Gall's system of phrenolOval painting of a haloed figure riding a black dog, holding a club and a red bowl, against a blue sky over green grass.Bhairava riding on a dog, holding a club and a skull-bowl. Gouache painting by an Indian aEngraved vanitas allegory: nude figures with a skull, a raised bird and floating bubbles in a garden setting, signed J. de Groot, 1745.Allegorie op de vergankelijkheid (Vanitas)Sepia print of a horseman with a long pole riding across open land toward a distant city, with German verse printed below.Nieuwe DodendansEngraving of skeletal Death pulling robed figures and a crowd past a fallen beam, with a horse at right and verse text below.Nieuwe DodendansBrown print of men tumbling amid flags beside a barrel of loaves, with a skull-faced figure gripping a pole at right and German verse below.Nieuwe DodendansFour engraved views of monkey skulls on cream paper: two intact in profile above, two cut in vertical section below, showing teeth and braincase.Skulls of male and female Capuchin monkeys, with vertical sections. Lithograph by G. EngelBlack-and-white line print of skeletons crowding around a table with a seated man and a candle, under a plank ceiling.DodendansEngraved vanitas scene: a boy seated at a marble ledge beside a bowl, with flowers, fruit, a draped curtain and a cherub medallion, and a Latin inscription below.Humana cuncta Fumus, Umbra, VanitasHand-coloured engraving of a man's profile head and three brown-toned skulls, titled Physiognomy, Plate II.A profile of a man bisected with a curve for measuring the brain, skulls of a Turk (top riBlack-and-white print of a crowded street with a robed man holding scales over a table, a cloaked figure and child at right, and a banner above.Nieuwe DodendansColoured print of a wigged man feeling a seated woman's head; three men wait at right, skulls and plaster heads on shelves.Franz Joseph Gall examining the head of a pretty girl, while three gentlemen wait in line.Brown etching of a skeleton with a scythe and a horned devil flanking a coat of arms with scenes of ships and soldiers.A skeleton and a devil flank a coat of arms. Etching, 1807.Painting of a barber-surgeon in a red cap working on a seated patient in a red chair, with jars on shelves behind.A barber-surgeon extracting stones from a woman's head; symbolising the expulsion of 'follStill life painting with a skull, hourglass, stacked books and a letter on a dark draped table against a brown wall.Vanitas stillevenBlack-and-white caricature of a phrenology lecture: a bald lecturer points at a chart before a crowded audience, with plaster heads and skulls on shelves and tables.George Combe lecturing on phrenology, portrayed with protuberances on his head. Coloured lCrowded Mannerist painting of two embracing women in a classical piazza, with a nude old man and lion at left, a seated nude beggar at right, and a skull on the floor.Visitation (Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth in the Presence of Saints Joseph and Jerome)Oil painting of an anxious man in a red chair holding a skull beside a green-draped table, with books and skulls scattered on the floor.An anxious man comparing his own head to a skull, using the technique of phrenology. Oil pEngraved phrenology chart with skull and brain diagrams, head outlines, three male portraits, and a dense printed index in columns.Phrenological diagrams of the skull and brain, with three portraits: Laurence Sterne, a maEngraved vanitas print: a man and woman seated with a skull, hourglass and scattered objects, framed by ornate scrollwork and a banner.VanitasPainting of a green wrathful figure with orange hair and bared fangs standing on grey swirling clouds against a pink cloud background.A green Tibetan demon (?) holding a skull cup and a vajra in its hand. Gouache painting byPainting of an bearded elderly man with a halo kneeling in a dark desert, reading an open book on a stone ledge, with a red cardinal's hat nearby.St JeromeBlack and white lithograph of a man holding a skull and touching a seated girl's head as a woman in a bonnet looks on, with busts and skulls on shelves.A phrenologist holding a skull palpates a girl's skull, while her mother looks on. LithogrFramed drawing with a black clock dial at centre, a skeleton holding a lamp in an oval at top, and four grey classical medallions at the corners.A clock dial on which a skeleton holds an oil lamp. Drawing by Caleb Elwin, 1800.Engraving of a turbaned bearded man seated between two globes, with robed figures, a child, a shelf of instruments, and inscriptions above.Man trekt loten uit twee globes en reikt ze uit aan twee machtige mannenBlack-and-white aquatint of an apothecary shop with bottles on shelves, a patient, a pharmacist, and a skeleton in the right foreground.The dance of death: the apothecary. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.Hand-coloured engraving showing a skull, jawbone, red head muscle diagrams, and a white and pink hellebore plant with leaves and roots.Anatomy and botany: top, skull, jawbone, and muscles of head; bottom, hellebore plant. ColHand-coloured 1871 caricature etching of a horned red demon holding a banner of slogans, standing amid smoke and flames, with a caption below.A fiery demon representing the chaos of the Paris Commune and more generally, the infernalLithograph of a human skull seen from the front, centered on pale paper, with a printed French caption text block below.Scull of a public woman, remarkable for the depravity of her morals, her great propensity Black-and-white etching of a reclining skeleton on a stone ledge, with snakes winding over it and rats nearby, under a Latin banner.A skeleton with snakes and rats. Etching by C. Grignion, 1821.Engraved anatomical plate of skull views and vertebrae with lettered reference marks, labelled Tab. XLIX, on yellowed paper.The bones of the human skeleton: the skull and the vertebrae. Engraving, 1686.Etched sheet with four oval panels of saints: an armored archangel over a dragon, a kneeling man before a cross, and an angel guiding a figure.Alle heiligen en de Christelijke feestdagen van het jaarColored caricature print: stout men brawling indoors before green drapes, a maid raising a pan, and a skeleton leaning over an seated old woman at right.The dance of death: the chamber war. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.Young woman blowing a bubble beside a skull, violin and open book on a green-draped table, in a vanitas still life.Bubble-blowing Girl with a Vanitas Still LifeGouache painting of a skull and crossbones in a cloud, a streaking comet, lightning, and a stormy sky over dark hills.Portents of death and destruction. Gouache, ca. 1910 (?).Oval portrait miniature of a woman in a white bonnet and white shawl, set in a gold frame on a gray background.Mary (Polly) Lawton BringhurstEngraving of a seated woman in a feathered headdress beside a table with a ewer, smoke and flame behind her, framed by ornamental calligraphic lettering.Vanitas Vanitatum et Omnia VanitasInk and wash drawing of a crowd of figures in a bacchanal, with three skeletons in draped cloaks looming at upper right over the tangle of bodies.Triumph of Death: Three Skeletons Invading a Bacchanal Orchestrated by a Magician or an EvMonochrome vanitas engraving: a seated nude woman, a figure holding up a parrot, a child with fruit, and a skull among bubbles.Allegorie op de vergankelijkheid (Vanitas)Two grey drawings of human skulls on a grey mount: a side view at top and a frontal view below labelled as the skull of the painter Raphael.The skull of the painter Raphael: frontal view. Lithograph by Engelmann after C.P. Mazer.Engraved plate titled Physiognomy with an older man's profile, several skulls in side view, a small ape skull, and a gridded frontal face.A profile of an old mentally disabled man, skulls of various races, skulls of a monkey andSepia anatomical diagram of a female brain cut vertically in side view, with numbered labels and a cerebellum at the lower rear.A female brain, sectioned vertically: side view. Process print, 1901, after etching, 1809.Grid of sixteen black-and-white photos of a mustached man in a suit, head fitted with a white measuring band, shown from multiple angles.The phrenologist Bernard Hollander illustrating with his own head his system of cranial meBlack-and-white portrait of a mustached man in a suit with a metal craniometer arched over his head, demonstrating cranial measurement.The phrenologist Bernard Hollander illustrating with his own head his system of cranial mePencil sketch of a bearded elderly man in a long dark coat and cap, holding a walking stick, standing against a pale background.Workhouse-inmate with skull-cap and stick