Skull & Snake Memento Mori Ivory – C. 1870 – A large ivory handle, ebony shaft, chased silver collar and a horn ferrule.
Memento mori is a Latin phrase translated as “Remember your mortality”, “Remember you must die” or “Remember you will die”. It refers to a genre of artworks that all share the same purpose: to remind people of their mortality, an artistic theme dating back to antiquity.
