Momento mori, from "Selectorum Emblematus Centuria Secunda", Crispijn de Passe the Elder | Mia

round image of a standing winged figure holding a cross and standing on a skull and an hourglass; text around and beneath image; scroll at bottom center — Momento mori, from "Selectorum Emblematus Centuria Secunda", 1613
Crispijn de Passe the Elder
Engraving
Gift of James A. Bergquist, Boston, in honor of Rachel McGarry 2021.69.3
Not on View
With the youthful angel astride a human skull and an hourglass, this image is a "momento mori," a reminder that each of us will die. Since the angel grasps a cross, the image is explicitly Christian. In the background, rays of light descend from the dense, billowing clouds and Moses receives the Tablets of the Law--the Ten Commandments. To the right we see a naked old man on the ground and, nearby, two angels attempting to ward of a devil. The implicit message is that we should prepare for our fate.

Such images oftem paired with texts are called "emblems." They were frequently published in the Netherlands in the 17th century. This one appeared as the 18th among 100 emblems in a book called "Selectorum Emblematus Centuria Secunda," written by Gabriel Rollenhagen and published in Arnheim in 1613. Rollenhagen's accompanying verse can be translated as follows:

This life is nothing but a quick passage,

So that we seem to fly from this land

Towards the other brilliants of the celestial manor,

Where joy and pleasure are always the way.

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Details

Title: Momento mori, from "Selectorum Emblematus Centuria Secunda"
Dated: 1613
Artist: Crispijn de Passe the Elder
Nationality: Dutch
Artist Life: c. 1565-1637
Role: Artist
Gallery: Not on View
Department: European Art
Dimension: 5 7/16 × 4 1/16 in. (13.81 × 10.32 cm) (plate)5 9/16 × 4 1/4 in. (14.13 × 10.8 cm) (sheet)
Credit: Gift of James A. Bergquist, Boston, in honor of Rachel McGarry
Accession Number: 2021.69.3
Medium: Engraving
Country: Netherlands
Century: 17th century
Rights: Public Domain
Classification: Prints
Object Name: Print
Catalogue Raisonne: Franken p. 263-4, 1344 Hollstein 856
Wikipedia: Cite this information
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Curator Approved: This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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