Federazione Italiana Mercanti d'Arte

"Memento Mori"

17th-century Lombard School

"Memento Mori"
Oil on canvas
17th-century Lombard School
Canvas 46 x 40 cm
Frame 52 x 45 cm
Excellent condition
The painting has been cleaned and relined.

"Memento Mori," or "Remember that you must die," is one of the most powerful expressions of Latin thought and the human condition.
Born as a political and military warning to emperors and great victors, it later transformed into an ethical and spiritual principle: remembering death to give value to life.
"Memento Mori" is not a call to resignation, but to awareness.
Remembering death means learning to live, seizing the present, recognizing what truly matters, without wasting time.

The expressive power of "memento mori" has influenced literature, art, music, and even popular culture.
In Renaissance and Baroque art, still lifes with skulls and hourglasses represented the inexorable passage of time.

Today, "memento mori" has become a motto used to remind us of the fragility of life and the importance of living with sound moral principles and good intentions.

This captivating and evocative work presents the most significant symbols of time's fleeting passage, leading us mortals toward the inexorable end of our existence.
A naked newborn baby, lying on a red pillow, rests his head on a skull next to an hourglass.
Despite his dramatic message, the artist depicts the scene with extremely bright colors, where the predominant red contrasts with the painting's profound theme and conveys stimulating and positive feelings.


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