German Vanitas with double-sided bronze skull - 18th century

"Memento Mori", Vanitas represented by a double-sided skull depicting the head of a living figure on one side and the skull on the another.
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 Chamber of Wonders (Wunderkammer), but also acted as contemplative reminders of mortality.
Height x width x depth: 13 x 13.5 x 10 cm. Weight: 890 g.
Item condition grading: **** good.