German Small Carved Ivory Memento Mori Terminal Rosary Bead

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German Small Carved Ivory Memento Mori Terminal Rosary Bead

Finch & Co

Period 1600-1700

Origin German, Germany

Medium Ivory

Dimension 2 x 2 x 2 cm (0³/₄ x 0³/₄ x 0³/₄ inches)

A German Small Carved Ivory Memento Mori Terminal Rosary Bead in the Form of a Skull
Fine worn smooth silky patina
17th Century

Size: 2cm high, 2cm wide, 2cm deep - ¾ ins high, ¾ ins wide, ¾ ins deep

Period: 1600-1700

Origin: German, Germany

Medium: Ivory

Dimension: 2 x 2 x 2 cm (0³/₄ x 0³/₄ x 0³/₄ inches)

Literature: Made for devotional use the function of these beads was to mark the beginning and end of a prayer cycle. Reminding the believer of his mortality, the paternoster or terminal bead on a rosary represents an act of inner contemplation. It is also evidence of the anonymity of death and perhaps of truths beyond the transient details of life.

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