Vanity of Vanities All Is Vanity.
Memento Mori Vanitas Tableau Sculpture Housed In Display Case.
Early 20th Century.

Three dimensional composition model of a life size female head, half of which depicts life while the other half depicts death.
The half of life, shows a beautiful woman with an open eye, painted lips and curly hair.
The side of death is shown in post mortem decay infested with maggots, worms and insects.
The insects inhabit the skull, a spider is above the empty eye socket, maggots are eating the remaining flesh while the snake is emerging from her empty eye socket.
One hand is griping flowers symbolizing life and death, once they bloom they almost immediately die.
The shell symbolizes death and frailty, as shells were once homes for a living animal.

The female head is mounted on a base which has inscription attached VANITAS (Vanity).
The Vanitas is sculpted out of composition paper mache pulp, and painted with oils.
Components are glass eyes, real hair (mohair or human).
It is sculpted on a painted wood base.
Surrounding items are sculpted and painted from the same material.

Approximate dimensions:
Wood enclosed glass case: height: 20 3/4 in., width: 14 in., depth: 12 3/4 in.
Head on wood base: height: 10 1/2 in., width: 9 in., depth: 9 1/2 in.
Condition: good original overall well preserved pre-owned estate condition.
Unique and Rare.
Provenance: private estate.

CONTEMPLATION OF HUMANITY & MORTALITY; consider the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes.

Good original pre-owned estate condition.
Pick-Up is available in New York City, N.Y. or Hudson Valley region OR we will take to local shipper