• Out of the Ordinary auction at Christies

    Sale 10658

    Out of the Ordinary

    London, South Kensington

    |

    10 September 2015

    Browse Sale
Previous Lot
Search
Next Lot
    • AN ITALIAN CARVED MARBLE 'VANI
    Lot 12

    AN ITALIAN CARVED MARBLE 'VANITAS' BUST OF A WOMAN

    LATE 19TH CENTURY

    Price realised

    GBP 8,750

    Estimate

    GBP 2,000 - GBP 4,000

    Follow lot
    Add to Interests

    AN ITALIAN CARVED MARBLE 'VANITAS' BUST OF A WOMAN
    LATE 19TH CENTURY
    One side of her face carved as her skull, with a shroud enveloping her head
    13 in. (33 cm.) high

    Contact us

    • Contact Client Service

      info@christies.com

      New York +1 212 636 2000

      London +44 (0)20 7839 9060

      infoasia@christies.com

      Asia +852 2760 1766

    Lot Essay

    Vanitas has been a theme present since medieval funerary art. By the 15th century it could be extremely morbid and explicit, reflecting an increased obsession with death and decay also seen in the Ars moriendi, the Danse Macabre, and the overlapping motif of the Memento mori. Paintings and sculpture, such as this bust, executed in the vanitas style were meant to remind viewers of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death.

    Recommended features

      • The tastemaker: Frank de Biasi
      • The tastemaker: Frank de Biasi’s Rockefeller selections

        The New York City-based interior designer selects his favourite pieces from the Rockefeller Collection

      • The tastemaker: Rafael de Cárd
      • The tastemaker: Rafael de Cárdenas

        The New York designer selects favourite pieces from The Collector sales on 10 April, with advice on weaving centuries-old objets into a modern interior

      • I bought it at Christie’s
      • I bought it at Christie’s

        Celebrity estate agent Josh Flagg on how he acquired a gilt mirror and other treasures formerly owned by Betsy Bloomingdale

      • Design inspiration: our specia
      • Design inspiration: our specialists’ suggestions

        Christie’s Decorative Arts and Design specialists reveal the people, places and spaces that spark their senses​

      • Deconstructed: Omega Speedmast
      • Deconstructed: Omega Speedmaster Professional ‘Moonwatch’ with meteorite dial

        The watch that flew to the moon with NASA’s astronauts — a rare commemorative version of which is offered online, 24 April to 8 May

      • The road to Suprematism — Kazi
      • The road to Suprematism — Kazimir Malevich’s Landscape

        This monumental, square-format work is a major highlight of Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 20 June in London

Share
Email
Copy link
Share
Email
Copy link