Ruth Hibbard from the Victoria and Albert Museum explores the artistic history and cultural significance of memento mori imagery. This unboxing session showcases a variety of historical engravings and intricate skull-themed jewelry pieces, revealing how these items served as both intimate personal accessories and poignant reminders of human mortality.
~REMEMBER YOU WILL DIE~
Why did people in the past wear skull or skeleton jewellery? From a ruby-encrusted skull and crossbones ring, to a silver skull scent-case and a baroque pearl fashioned into an alien-like skull, Curator Ruth has uncovered the spookiest skeletons in our collections, crafted from precious metals and gemstones.
Intriguing and unsettling, explore the symbolism behind these tiny keepsakes, often worn on the body, and find out what they reveal about how people thought about death, remembrance and mortality across the centuries.
- 00:00 What is a memento mori?
- 00:34 Ruth’s box of skulls: print & engraving
- 02:06 Gold, enamel and ruby ring with skull & crossbones
- 02:44 Love and death token: 17th century mourning ring
- 03:22 Silver skull pendant with secret compartments
- 04:21 Tiny coffin pendant with hidden enamel skeleton
- 05:16 Grinning skull pearl stick pin associated with Napoleon
- 06:03 Ivory memento mori curio for mindfulness
