German elephant ivory Vanitas with skull - 19th century..., Wunderkammer...

"Memento Mori" Vanitas represented by an elephant ivory skull (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797 or Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758) carved in the full round; in the lower part, is represented the "breath of life". 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. Height x width x depth: 10 x 9.5 x 11.2 cm. Weight 933 g. Item condition grading: ***** excellent. Accompanied by CITES certificate. This lot is available for sale only with shipments within the European Union; the CITES certificate for export outside the European Community can only be requested for lots sold to museums.