Rosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's Head

Rosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's Head

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A string of beads is used as a memory aid in the recitation of the rosary, a multipart devotion to the Virgin. Here, the striking terminal bead announces the constant proximity of death by joining a skull to the pair of vivacious lovers. Such an image is known as a memento mori (reminder of death), as it encourages one to reflect on the transience of life.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Rosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's HeadRosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's HeadRosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's HeadRosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's HeadRosary Terminal Bead with Lovers and Death's Head

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.