Lot 17

Unknown author MEMENTO MORI

"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." The saying on the scroll, the skull, the white funeral flowers, and the broken candle all form a popular allegory of the finitude of life, and represent a disciplinary principle widely applied throughout the centuries-that is, that one should be prepared and ready for the limiting event of death during one's lifetime, for death is a dangerous moment when the forces of heaven and hell struggle for the departed soul, and the dying have only one shot at salvation. Considerable effort was devoted to piety and preparation, proper rituals were required for a correct death, and even literary printed works were produced - reports (Bericht) on the course of death.