Rosary, ca. 1500–1525 German Ivory, silver, partially gilded mounts
Each bead of the rosary represents the bust of a well-fed burgher or maiden on one side, and a skeleton on the other. The terminals, even more graphically, show the head of a deceased man, with half the image eaten away from decay. Such images served as reminders that life is fleeting and that leading a virtuous life as a faithful Christian is key to salvation.
Source: Rosary [German] (17.190.306) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Rosary, ca. 1500–1525
German
Ivory, silver, partially gilded mounts
Each bead of the rosary represents the bust of a well-fed burgher or maiden on one side, and a skeleton on the other. The terminals, even more graphically, show the head of a deceased man, with half the image eaten away from decay. Such images served as reminders that life is fleeting and that leading a virtuous life as a faithful Christian is key to salvation.
Source: Rosary [German] (17.190.306) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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