Mortality & Time
Vanitas imagery about death, time, the soul and the ending of earthly life.
How to use this collection
Vanitas imagery about death, time, the soul and the ending of earthly life. The collection is organized as an identification aid, not a universal codebook. Compare the full design and verify the result with inscription, date and local records.
Broken Clock
time interrupted or a life cut short; sometimes a literal damaged object rather than intentional symbolism
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Candle
the spirit, prayer, light or the brevity of life
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Clock
the hour of death, time remembered or an exact death time when hands are legible
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Coffin
mortality, burial and the physical fact of death
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Crossed Bones
mortality and the remains of the body
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Death's Head
a skull-like soul effigy common on early markers, emphasizing mortality and judgment
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Extinguished Candle
life ended or the spirit's earthly light gone out
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Grim Reaper
death personified, often carrying a scythe or hourglass
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Hourglass
the passage and limitation of earthly time
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Hourglass on Its Side
time has stopped for the deceased
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Hourglass with Scythe
time and death combined: life passes and is ultimately harvested
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Inverted Torch
life extinguished while the flame may still imply enduring spirit
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Memento Mori Inscription
a direct reminder to remember death and the brevity of life
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Sarcophagus Motif
death, burial and classical memorial form
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Scythe
death as the reaper and life as a harvest
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Setting Sun
the close of life or death
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Sickle
the last harvest, mortality or agricultural identity when paired with crops
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Skeleton
death personified or the body's mortality
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Skull
mortality and the certainty of death
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Skull and Crossbones
mortality, bodily death and memento-mori imagery; not automatically piracy
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Smoke or Rising Flame
the soul, spirit, prayer or transformation
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Soul Effigy
a winged face representing the soul rather than a literal portrait
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Upright Lit Torch
life, enlightenment, memory or enduring spirit
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Winged Hourglass
time flies and life passes swiftly
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Winged Skull
mortality joined to the flight or survival of the soul
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