Mourning Child with hour glass
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Mourning Child with hour glass” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, British Galleries, Room 56, The Djanogly Gallery, London. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
RoomBritish Galleries, Room 56, The Djanogly Gallery
Closed· opens tomorrow at 10:00 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
Object Type
This statue of a child holding a skull was made to be placed on a tomb, and to serve as a memento mori (reminder of death). This piece and its pendant, thought to represent a boy and girl respectively, were probably designed to flank the sculpted portrait of the deceased.
Materials & Making
Tombs in Britain in the 17th and 18th century were often carved from marble, or occasionally alabaster. Marble was imported, generally from Italy via The Netherlands. It was considered an appropriate material for funerary monuments, partly because of the associations with ancient Roman sculpture, and because of its supposed durability.
Subject Depicted
Read on
A long tradition of depicting symbols of death existed in west European art. The skull and the hourglass symbolised decay and the passing of time, while the sorrowing child was an allegory, albeit informal, of sorrow. Direct Christian imagery was avoided in British funerary sculpture after the Reformation, and allegory became more common.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- A.63-1938
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
