Latin for vanity, these were artworks conveying the inevitability of death and the emptiness of worldly pursuits, notably beauty. This one dates from the 1700s air was modelled on Queen Elizabeth I. At The Cult of Beauty exhibition at the Wellcome Collection.
Popped in to this free exhibition after work - interesting artefacts and art exploring many aspects of beauty through the ages and across cultures - some slightly more hard-hitting images exploring gender identity and cosmetic surgery.
In the end though I didn't find any of it surprising - in that, yes, those deemed beautiful, though subject to change, have usually been limited to the young and 'perfectly' formed. And people - usually women but not always - have spent and still do spend a lot of time, money, and emotional effort in trying to meet unreachable ideals.
Gosh this takes me back to when I did vanitas as a theme for one of my art projects for my exam group (many years ago now lol) but we only looked at paintings so never looked at 3D versions. Great capture of this.
I have been considering going to see this exhibition for some time, would you recommend?