in the form of a human skull, with suspension loop, the forehead engraved with memento mori symbols of an hourglass and a scythe, further engraved with the memento mori exhortations 'Vita Fugit Ut Hora' (life flies, like an hour) on the forehead; 'Æterna Respice Caduca Despice' (keep eternal matters in mind, shun ephemera) on the top; 'Dum Viuis Viue ut Viuas' (while you live, live to live) between and 'Incerta Mortis Hora' (the hour of death is uncertain) on the back of the skull, hinged at the jaw
44mm wide, 1oz 2dwt, 34.2gr

Provenance:
by tradition from a Northumberland country house, Alnwick Auctions, 13 December 2020.

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This fascinating watch case is one of a known series produced in the 17th century and variously attributed to different countries of Europe. Like other memento mori works of art, such as paintings, watch-cases such as this were produced as a reminder of the inevitability of death and became particularly popular in the 17th century.

A very similar example, perhaps by the same hand, is in the collection of the Ashmolean museum (WA1947.191.58), bequeathed by J. Francis Mallet in 1947. It is engraved with identical memento mori exhortations as on the present example as well as the symbols of an hourglass and a scythe, though these symbols are depicted one above the other on the Ashmolean example and side by side on the present example. The Ashmolean example is later fitted with a verge watch of circa 1830 by the Norwich watchmaker Benjamin Russell. The case is described as possibly French though the present example tests at approximately 89% silver suggesting it to be more likely German as that would be below both the French and English standard of the time.

Another example of a case realistically formed as a human skull, with a movement by the Swiss watchmaker Jean Rousseau (1606-1684) was sold by Sotheby's 16 April 2019, lot 28. Rousseau was the great-grandfather of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and was a well regarded watchmaker and a Master of the Clockmaker's Company of Geneva. The case on this example, dated to circa 1650, is realistically formed but lacking the memento mori symbols and exhortations which appear on both the present example and that in the Ashmolean.

Another example, which can perhaps better help us identify the origin of this example, is one in the collection of the British Museum (1874,0718.41) which was previously in the collection of Sir Charles Fellows and was presented by his wife Lady Harriet Fellows in 1874. This example is engraved with exhortations ‘Vita Fugitur' (life is fleeting); 'Caduca Despice' (look down upon a fallen thing); 'Æsterna Respice' (look upon eternity) and 'Incerta Hora' (the hour is uncertain) with an hourglass between. Helpful in determining its origin, has a movement by Joseph Conrad Vuolf of Donauwörth, Germany. David Thompson talks further about the British Museum example in his book Watches (London, 2008, pp. 46-47) and cites another example with a German movement, by Johann Georg Engelschalk and suggests that the cases were made in Augsburg which seems to also be likely for the present example.