What is a memento mori?

A memento mori (Latin for “remember you must die”) is an object, or an artistic symbol that reminds the viewer of the inevitability of death, and the fleeting nature of life. Throughout history, symbols of mortality have appeared in the art and material culture of many civilisations.

Common motifs include skeletons, skulls, hourglasses, wilted flowers or fruit, and extinguished candles.

Here are three examples you can see at the Museum.

A mourning ring, 1650 – 1676

What is it?

A gold mourning ring featuring a central carved skull, surrounded by 18 amethysts.

What’s its story?

The ring, dating from the mid-1600s, is said to have been worn by physician, Thomas Burwell, at the funeral of his Uncle, Baldwin Hamey (d.1676). Hamey was also a physician and was a major donor to the rebuilding of the College after the Great Fire of London.

Mourning rings were worn to commemorate the life of a deceased friend or loved one. Like other types of mourning jewellery, they were sometimes gifted to mourners, with their cost provided for in the deceased’s will. Amethysts were believed to bring calm and clarity and were popular stones in mourning jewellery.

Where can I see it?

The mourning ring is on display in the Treasures Room.

Portrait of Sir Theodore de Mayerne, c.1629 – 1689

What is it?

An oil painting of Sir Theodore de Mayerne by an unknown artist.

What’s its story?

Sir Theordore de Mayerne was probably one of the most famous doctors in Europe. He served King James I as physician and worked as a European diplomat and occasional spy. Mayerne is depicted wearing a velvet robe and holding a skull.

The skull may represent a common memento mori symbol. However, it could also allude to Mayerne’s medical cure for gout which was said to contain: ‘raspings of a human skull, unburied’. Human remains were not uncommonly used in 17th century medicine. And if you look closely, could those be rasping marks on the top of the skull? 

Where can I see it?

The portrait of Sir Theodore de Mayerne is on display in the Lasdun Hall

Aeternitatis prodromus, mortis nuntius, quem sanis, aegrotis, moribundis [A forerunner of eternity, the messenger of death, to the healthy, the sick and the dying].

What is it? 

A Forerunner of Eternity is the smallest bound book in the library (just 99mm tall), published in 1628.

What’s its story?

Though tiny and difficult to read, this book does not qualify as a truly ‘miniature’ book – this honour is reserved for tomes that are 75mm or less in height.  

This book tells the reader how to prepare for death, whether they’re currently in good health, already ill, or actually dying. It includes illustrations of a skeleton set against different seasonal landscapes. In autumn, the skeleton is seated beneath a tree with its leaves withered and fallen. The illustrations allude to the passing of time, decay and renewal.

Where can I see it?

The Forerunner of Eternity book is on display in the exhibition, A Body of Knowledge