A Collection of Memento Mori

Object Description

a. A German Memento Mori Carved Ivory Paternoster Rosary Bead in the Form of a Skull
Old smooth silky patina
17th Century

Size: 3cm high, 3cm wide, 3.5cm deep – 1¼ ins high, 1¼ ins wide, 1½ ins deep

b. A German Double Sided Carved Bone ‘Wendekopf’ Rosary Bead with an Image of Christ Crucified and a Human Skull
Fine worn smooth patina
16th Century

Size: 2.5cm high, 2cm wide, 2cm deep – 1 ins high, ¾ ins wide, ¾ ins deep

c. A German Small Carved Ivory Memento Mori Terminal Rosary Bead in the Form of a Skull
Fine worn smooth silky patina
17th Century

Size: 2cm high, 2cm wide, 2cm deep – ¾ ins high, ¾ ins wide, ¾ ins deep

Object History

Ex Private collection of the Berkeley Family, Spetchley Park Worcestershire

Object Literature

Made for devotional use the function of these beads was to mark the beginning and end of a prayer cycle. Reminding the believer of his mortality, the paternoster or terminal bead on a rosary represents an act of inner contemplation. It is also evidence of the anonymity of death and perhaps of truths beyond the transient details of life.

Object Details