Vanités

German carved Vanitas, Early 17th century. Ivory, H 4.5 x W 4.5 x D 7 cm. Price: € 44,500. FINCH & CO at BRAFA 2021. A salamander and snake crawling through the partly decomposed skull with scraps of skin dangling from the face, the exposed muscles partly decomposed. Provenance: former private European collection; former private collection of the late Robert Noortman (1946-2007); sale Sotheby's Amsterdam, 2007; former collection Finch & Co, 2008; private collection, London, 2008-2020. m. +44 (0)7768 236... [Lire la suite]

Memento mori half head, half skull, European, 19th century. Ivory. H. 5.8 cm (object) H 8.5 cm (with base). CABINET OF CURIOSITIES-HONOURABLE SILVER OBJECTS at BRAFA 2021 The ivory model of a half a child's head, half a skull is carved with precision of a naturalistic quality. This memento mori is literally a reminder of death and the shortness of life. The skull was the symbol of death from the 1500s onwards. m. +32 (0)475 26 76 85 www.silverobjects.be

Lot 18. Unsigned. A silver memento mori skull form watch, circa 19th century; dimensions 34mm x 37.5mm. Estimate: 800 - 1 200 GBP. Lot sold: 11,340 GBP. Photo Sotheby's. gilded full plate movement, verge escapement, three arm flat balance, decoratively pierced and engraved balance cock, round pillars, fusee and chain, white enamel dial with Roman numerals, silver case in the shape of a human skull, engraved with latin mememto mori text, winding aperture and bow to the top. ... [Lire la suite]

Lot 16. A gold, enamel and hardstone 'memento mori' figure, probably 19th century; 4.4cm., 1 3/4 in. high. Estimate: 600 - 800 GBP. Lot sold: 3,528 GBP. Photo Sotheby's. in the form of a skeleton wearing a large hat and mid-17th century boots, carrying a mandolin around his shoulder, supported on a slightly-waisted stepped lapis lazuli base. Property of a descendant of William Beckford & The Dukes of Hamilton. Sotheby's. Royal & Noble. London, 7 January 2021

Lot 9. An anatomical study of five human skulls on a table with a book and a skeleton behind, English School, 1845; with inscription ‘J. Constable/ 1845’ (lower right) and inscribed ‘To Dr. Shaw with J.M. Constable's compts’ (lower left), pencil, pen and brown ink and watercolour on paper, 93⁄4 x 131⁄2 in. (25 x 34.5 cm.)l. Estimate: GBP 1,500  - GBP 2,500 (USD 1,008 - USD 1,512). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020. Provenance: The Scottish Surgeon Alexander Shaw... [Lire la suite]

Lot 9. A memento mori Janus head rosary bead, Spanish, 17th century; 21⁄4 in. (5.5 cm.) high, 31⁄4 in. (8.5 cm.) high, overall. Estimate: GBP 800 - GBP 1,200 (USD 1,008 - USD 1,512). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020. bone; with a head of Christ to one side and a skull to the reverse; with a silver filigree pendant mount, hung from a modern metal stand. Provenance: A private collection, London. Christie's. Finch and Co’s Cabinet of... [Lire la suite]

Lot 9. A snuff box, French, circa 1810; 1 in. (2.4 cm.) high; 3 in. (7.8 cm.) diameter. Estimate: GBP 800 - GBP 1,200 (USD 1,008 - USD 1,512). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020. walnut with a tortoiseshell lining; the lid decorated with three skulls illustrating the anatomical theory of phrenology developed by Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) and a list of Gall's 27 'fundamental faculties' to the reverse. Note: The theory of phrenology was first developed in Vienna in circa 1800 by... [Lire la suite]

Lot 9. A snuff box, French, circa 1810; 1 in. (2.4 cm.) high; 3 in. (7.8 cm.) diameter. Estimate: GBP 800 - GBP 1,200 (USD 1,008 - USD 1,512). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020. walnut with a tortoiseshell lining; the lid decorated with three skulls illustrating the anatomical theory of phrenology developed by Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) and a list of Gall's 27 'fundamental faculties' to the reverse. Note: The theory of phrenology was first developed in Vienna in circa 1800 by... [Lire la suite]

Lot 10. Two Memento Mori Skulls, German, 17th and 18th century; 6 in. (15.5 cm.) high. Estimate: GBP 800 - GBP 1,200 (USD 1,008 - USD 1,512). © Christie's Images Ltd 2020. One polychrome limewood, 18th century; the other boxwood, 17th century; each on a modern base.The limewood skull: 11⁄4 in. (3.5 cm.) high; 41⁄2 in. (11.5 cm.) high, overallThe boxwood skull: 1 in. (2.5 cm.) high; 33⁄4 in. (9.5 cm.) high, overall. Provenance: A private collection, England. ... [Lire la suite]

Spanish School 17th-century, Still life of Skulls, 1650. Oil on canvas, 38.5 x 78 cm (15.2 x 30.7 in.). Benappi Fine Art, London. © 2020 TEFAF.   Provenance: Private collection, Italy.   TEFAF Maastricht, 7-15 march 2020