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268 - Attributed to Jacopo Ligozzi (1547–1627), *Memento Mori*, oi…
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Estimate €6,000 - €8,000
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Description
Attributed to Jacopo Ligozzi (1547–1627), *Memento Mori*, oil on canvas, 30.5 × 25.5 cm, with some restoration - Other versions of this composition were on display at the Robilant+Voena gallery in 2020 (from Ligozzi’s circle), one by a pupil of Ligozzi (Christie’s, New York, 30 October 2018, lot 183), and another dating from the 18th century (Sotheby’s, London, 6 July 2017, lot 166). Most are derived from Ligozzi’s prototype in the collection of Lord Aberconway, Bodnant, Wales (cited in L. Salerno, *La natura morta italiana*, Ugo Bozzi Editore, Rome, 1984, fig. 9.2, p. 30; and in the exhibition catalogue Jacopo Ligozzi “pittore universalissimo”, Florence, Uffizi Gallery, 2014, fig. 78, p. 218) as well as from another still life by Ligozzi held in a private collection (op. cit. 2014, fig. 3, p. 188). A copy is held at the Charles Friry Museum in Remiremont. This is a devotional painting, a ‘vanitas’ piece, which does not seek to frighten the viewer, but alludes to the transition from earthly life to eternal life, within a context linked to the Counter-Reformation and the recommendations of the Council of Trent. These meditations draw inspiration from the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius and Thomas à Kempis. The Latin inscription *Quae prius anima mea tangere nolebat nunc cibi mei sunt* – which can be translated as ‘What my soul once would not even touch is now my food’ (Book of Job 6:7) – serves as a personal warning. The dragonfly emphasises the fragility of our existence and the transience of life. Its head rests on a book of hours, a aid to prayer. Expert: Cabinet Turquin
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About the sale Auction on Friday 14 August 2026
Auction location
Auction time 08/14/2026 at 2:00 PM
Lot description modified on 08/05/2026 at 2:51 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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