18th Century, Italian 'Memento Mori' Old Master School of Guido Reni

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Description

In the style or School of the Important Old Master Guido Reni (Italian, 1575-1642).

A stunning Old Master 18th or … Read more In the style or School of the Important Old Master Guido Reni (Italian, 1575-1642).

A stunning Old Master 18th or possibly 17th century Italian Baroque School religious portrait painting depicting a suffering lady (we believe this could be Mary Magdalene).
It is also a Memento mori, a Latin phrase meaning ‘remember you must die’. Often also showing a lost love close to the sitter.
A memento mori painting would often contain a portrait with a skull but other symbols commonly found are hour glasses or clocks, extinguished or guttering candles, fruit, and flowers.
In this painting the sitter is clutching her chest, staring into the sky while a human skull and pot sit upon a table top.
Faintly in the background you can see tree branches and a rocky facade. See less