Mourning, Death, and Memento Mori in Contemporary Jewellery. Spotlight Artworks by Klimt02
Published: 12.11.2024
- Author:
- Cécile Maes, Klimt02
- Edited by:
- Klimt02
- Edited at:
- Barcelona
For as long as humanity has existed, death has both fascinated and haunted us. Unknowable and inevitable, it holds up a mirror to our own fragility. From ancient times to today, death has inspired rituals, symbols, and objects to honour the departed and offer solace to those who remain, reminding us, too, of life’s fleeting nature. Jewellery, in particular, has always been a powerful vehicle for this symbolism, blending memory and introspection.
This article presents a Klimt02 selection of contemporary jewellery, an opening glimpse into a wider collection, that reinterprets artistic and philosophical concepts around mortality, mourning, and the human condition, in which each piece is connected to history, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with life and death.
Version française - French version 
Let’s start with a bit of history, always better to set the scene. In Antiquity, Egyptians practised elaborate funeral rituals, placing objects in tombs to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. Greek and Roman civilisations, in their own way, emphasised life's brevity, underscoring the human condition's humility.
From the Middle Ages onwards, particularly after the devastation of the Black Death in the 14th century, an obsession with death and mortality became a major cultural phenomenon across Europe. The concept of Memento Mori ("Remember that you will die" in Latin) spread widely. Through texts, objects, and jewellery, this theme served as a constant reminder of life’s transience, as well as a warning: never forget that, in the face of death, we will all be judged by the lives we have led.
During the Renaissance, the Memento Mori saw a surge in artistic expression. Paintings and engravings depicted skulls, hourglasses, and extinguished candles. The theme also appeared in jewellery. These precious, wearable artefacts provided an intimate way to incorporate such symbols into daily life, continually reminding their bearers of life’s fleeting nature.
Pendant: Memento Mori, 16th century. Part of the British Museum collection.
There is an artist whose universe moved me at a particular moment, revealing the simple yet essential truth: death is ever-present. Castello Hansen describes his pieces as "accessible, not by words but by our senses." I prefer not to say too much, for fear of revealing too soon, as they gradually unveil themselves, their meaning emerging before our eyes, through raw and intuitive sensation.
Drawing on cultural and historical references, and viewing jewellery as an artefact imbued with profound meaning and symbolism, Castello’s work treats the jewel as a living phenomenon, merging time, memory, and sensitivity.
The brooch featured in this article hides a secret.
Carefully preserved in its walnut case, a drawing etched into its pink stone awaits its revelation. A secret carved into the stone, inviting us to reflect on the fact that death is part of everything, as it is intrinsically linked to life.
Castello Hansen. Brooch: Vanitas, 2020. Reconstructed material, oak, 20kt gold and steel. Walnut box.
>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
In the 17th and 18th centuries, rings and medallions engraved with skulls, Latin inscriptions, or containing hair, could be found in the homes of aristocratic and bourgeois elites. It was within Protestant and Anglican cultures that these pieces took on a particular significance, as they were often passed down or given as gifts during funerals. They became precious, tangible witnesses to the departed and took on a commemorative function.
It was during this period that the concept of mourning jewellery truly emerged. Mourning jewellery symbolises the intimate connection with the deceased, recalling the loved one and their death and reminding us that one day, when our time comes, we too will join them.
As early as 1820, mourning became trendy in Germany and France. Women wore finely crafted jewellery, resembling lace yet cast in iron, inspired by elements of Gothic architecture and floral motifs from classical antiquity."There is a craze for black jewellery: black iron cameos, held by small chains of jet at regular intervals, make very fashionable necklaces. Others can be seen, where chains of Berlin iron offer the same work as our fine gold chains and are adorned with a dozen jet clasps set in small iron trellises." / Henri Vever, La Bijouterie Française au XIXe siècle, 1906
Unknown. Necklace: Untitled. 1820 Iron. Photo by: Winfried Reinhardt. Part of: Klaus-Peter and Judith Thomé Collection, Pforzheim Jewellery Museum.
In the 19th century, Queen Victoria embodied this mourning symbolism. After the death of her dear Albert, she exclusively adopted black clothing and jewellery, becoming the ultimate figure of romantic mourning. Albums dedicated to mourning jewellery circulated in which Victorian creations were made from dark materials such as jet, onyx, and vermeil, symbolising grief and remembrance.
These codes are evident in the work of Julia deVille, who, drawing on the Renaissance, Baroque, and Victorian eras, explores themes of death and nature. Through her creations that combine jewellery and taxidermy, deVille creates contemporary memento mori. These true allegories encourage us to reflect on our unequal relationship with the animal world as well as our nonchalance in the face of mortality.
These codes are also found in Julia deVille's work, drawing inspiration from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Victorian times, explores themes of death and nature. Through her creations that combine jewellery and taxidermy, deVille creates contemporary memento mori — true allegories that prompt us to reflect on our unequal relationship with the animal world and our carelessness in the face of mortality.
Julia deVille. Installation: Mother is my Monarch, 2018. Baby giraffe, my last breath, 18ct gold, 18ct white gold, sterling silver, bronze, gold plate, black rhodium plate, Akoya pearls, freshwater pearls, rose cut diamonds 6.05ct, rose cut black diamonds 0.67ct, uncut diamond granules 150ct, setting from ex-husbands engagement ring (18ct white gold, rose cut diamonds 0.33ct). Case made by Kate Rohde: resin, Perspex, wood, steel. Photo by: Andrew Curtis
>> More about this artwork and the author
Julia deVille. Ring: 20,000 Leagues, 2018. 9ct white gold, black sapphires, black rhodium plating.
>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
Because this historical symbolism, which has spanned centuries, continues to influence art to this day, it now carries new emotions and meanings, becoming a powerful medium for expressing personal stories through universal codes. To speak of death is also to evoke loss, that essential and often painful part of the human condition.
The artist Constanze Schreiber, captivated by 19th and 20th-century mourning jewellery, reinterprets these symbols in her creations. By incorporating skulls, pearls, and withered flowers, she brings the past into the present, infusing it with metaphors relevant to our time, exploring themes such as divorce or new beginnings. These interpretations highlight the complexities of our era, and at times, they layer over the weight of mourning.
Made from materials such as ceramics, iron, or silver, her pieces offer both visual presence and tactile sensation. Constanze Schreiber uses mourning culture, often considered a taboo subject, to explore themes of memory, loss, and resilience, inviting us to reconsider our relationship with pain and recovery.
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Constanze Schreiber. Bracelet: Memento Mori III, 2006. Fine silver. 10 x 10 x 3.5 cm. Inner Diameter: 6 cm. Photo by: Eddo Hartmann
>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
Grief, often a deeply personal narrative, finds a poignant expression in the work of artist Stephie Morawetz, who materialises her own experience through 242 Pearls for 242 Days.
Awarded by the Legnica International Jewellery Competition 2024 for her "creative boldness, uncompromising attitude, and innovation," the piece takes the form of a necklace made from 242 ashes pearls, each representing a day spent caring for her grandmother before her passing. Like a chaplet of pearls, it becomes a metaphor for the unbroken cycle of mourning, embodying not only the pain of loss but also the process of purification and renewal. Fragile, ephemeral, and transforming suffering into living memory, the necklace will slowly disintegrate, leaving only a single thread behind.
Stephie Morawetz. Necklace: 242 Pearls for 242 Days, 2023. Ash, thread, silver dust, string beads & performance (video, 9'15 min). 190 cm
>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
Art seeks to immortalise the fleeting moment, to capture the ephemeral, and to preserve emotion. And death is often explored by artists through the lens of time, particularly by evoking the natural cycle. By representing nature in its eternal renewal, artists remind us of the brevity of our existence and the inevitable passage of time, where the end of one cycle prepares the beginning of the next.
For the Macabre Masterpieces exhibition in Denmark in 2022, the artist Nanna Obel revisited an iconic symbol of mourning culture: the flower crown. Placed on graves, it symbolises that, even after a loved one's death, their memory remains intact and their presence preserved.
By depicting the cycle of a year through Danish flora, the crown becomes a symbol of time passing, but also of the immutability of memory, adding a timeless dimension to this traditional symbol. Passed down through generations, it reminds us of the transmission of grief as a cultural inheritance, much like mourning jewellery.
.jpg)
Nanna Obel. Piece: Sustainable Coffin Decoration – a tribute to bio and diversity, 2021. Silver, fine silver, enamel, 14k gold. 24 x 10 cm. Photo by: Ida Buus, Miklos Szabo
>> More about this artwork and the author
To conclude this selection, let’s return to the idea drawn from our dear Memento Mori: Nothing in this world can escape its ultimate fate.
This fate, marked by loss, pain, and sorrow, also carries the idea of renewal. As in the cycle of nature, after the rain comes the sunshine, doesn't it? This wisdom finds particular resonance in the world of artist Mari Ishikawa, especially in her series Rebirth.
'The natural plants quietly show me that fact of rebirth. Various plant forms are portrayed with their shadows in cast silver pieces that I created into jewellery. Moonstones are woven into the surface with silk thread. A gleam of light on the surface, seemingly expecting a new life. Plants come and go as part of their life cycle. This is the illusion of plants, but also the celebration of rebirth and memories.' she says.
A red thread, a glimmer of light in a still life frozen by darkness.
Like the arrival of spring after a harsh winter.
Like a spark of hope announcing a certain future, though uncertainty lingers about what it will be.
Mari Ishikawa. Brooch: ReBirth, , 2021. 8 x 11.5 x 3 cm. Oxydised silver, silk.
>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
>> Discover other pieces exploring mourning on Klimt02
>> Discover other symbolic pieces on Klimt02
From the Middle Ages onwards, particularly after the devastation of the Black Death in the 14th century, an obsession with death and mortality became a major cultural phenomenon across Europe. The concept of Memento Mori ("Remember that you will die" in Latin) spread widely. Through texts, objects, and jewellery, this theme served as a constant reminder of life’s transience, as well as a warning: never forget that, in the face of death, we will all be judged by the lives we have led.
During the Renaissance, the Memento Mori saw a surge in artistic expression. Paintings and engravings depicted skulls, hourglasses, and extinguished candles. The theme also appeared in jewellery. These precious, wearable artefacts provided an intimate way to incorporate such symbols into daily life, continually reminding their bearers of life’s fleeting nature.
Pendant: Memento Mori, 16th century. Part of the British Museum collection.There is an artist whose universe moved me at a particular moment, revealing the simple yet essential truth: death is ever-present. Castello Hansen describes his pieces as "accessible, not by words but by our senses." I prefer not to say too much, for fear of revealing too soon, as they gradually unveil themselves, their meaning emerging before our eyes, through raw and intuitive sensation.
Drawing on cultural and historical references, and viewing jewellery as an artefact imbued with profound meaning and symbolism, Castello’s work treats the jewel as a living phenomenon, merging time, memory, and sensitivity.
The brooch featured in this article hides a secret.
Carefully preserved in its walnut case, a drawing etched into its pink stone awaits its revelation. A secret carved into the stone, inviting us to reflect on the fact that death is part of everything, as it is intrinsically linked to life.
Castello Hansen. Brooch: Vanitas, 2020. Reconstructed material, oak, 20kt gold and steel. Walnut box.>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
In the 17th and 18th centuries, rings and medallions engraved with skulls, Latin inscriptions, or containing hair, could be found in the homes of aristocratic and bourgeois elites. It was within Protestant and Anglican cultures that these pieces took on a particular significance, as they were often passed down or given as gifts during funerals. They became precious, tangible witnesses to the departed and took on a commemorative function.
It was during this period that the concept of mourning jewellery truly emerged. Mourning jewellery symbolises the intimate connection with the deceased, recalling the loved one and their death and reminding us that one day, when our time comes, we too will join them.
As early as 1820, mourning became trendy in Germany and France. Women wore finely crafted jewellery, resembling lace yet cast in iron, inspired by elements of Gothic architecture and floral motifs from classical antiquity."There is a craze for black jewellery: black iron cameos, held by small chains of jet at regular intervals, make very fashionable necklaces. Others can be seen, where chains of Berlin iron offer the same work as our fine gold chains and are adorned with a dozen jet clasps set in small iron trellises." / Henri Vever, La Bijouterie Française au XIXe siècle, 1906
Unknown. Necklace: Untitled. 1820 Iron. Photo by: Winfried Reinhardt. Part of: Klaus-Peter and Judith Thomé Collection, Pforzheim Jewellery Museum.In the 19th century, Queen Victoria embodied this mourning symbolism. After the death of her dear Albert, she exclusively adopted black clothing and jewellery, becoming the ultimate figure of romantic mourning. Albums dedicated to mourning jewellery circulated in which Victorian creations were made from dark materials such as jet, onyx, and vermeil, symbolising grief and remembrance.
These codes are evident in the work of Julia deVille, who, drawing on the Renaissance, Baroque, and Victorian eras, explores themes of death and nature. Through her creations that combine jewellery and taxidermy, deVille creates contemporary memento mori. These true allegories encourage us to reflect on our unequal relationship with the animal world as well as our nonchalance in the face of mortality.
These codes are also found in Julia deVille's work, drawing inspiration from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Victorian times, explores themes of death and nature. Through her creations that combine jewellery and taxidermy, deVille creates contemporary memento mori — true allegories that prompt us to reflect on our unequal relationship with the animal world and our carelessness in the face of mortality.
Julia deVille. Installation: Mother is my Monarch, 2018. Baby giraffe, my last breath, 18ct gold, 18ct white gold, sterling silver, bronze, gold plate, black rhodium plate, Akoya pearls, freshwater pearls, rose cut diamonds 6.05ct, rose cut black diamonds 0.67ct, uncut diamond granules 150ct, setting from ex-husbands engagement ring (18ct white gold, rose cut diamonds 0.33ct). Case made by Kate Rohde: resin, Perspex, wood, steel. Photo by: Andrew Curtis>> More about this artwork and the author
Julia deVille. Ring: 20,000 Leagues, 2018. 9ct white gold, black sapphires, black rhodium plating.>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
Because this historical symbolism, which has spanned centuries, continues to influence art to this day, it now carries new emotions and meanings, becoming a powerful medium for expressing personal stories through universal codes. To speak of death is also to evoke loss, that essential and often painful part of the human condition.
The artist Constanze Schreiber, captivated by 19th and 20th-century mourning jewellery, reinterprets these symbols in her creations. By incorporating skulls, pearls, and withered flowers, she brings the past into the present, infusing it with metaphors relevant to our time, exploring themes such as divorce or new beginnings. These interpretations highlight the complexities of our era, and at times, they layer over the weight of mourning.
Made from materials such as ceramics, iron, or silver, her pieces offer both visual presence and tactile sensation. Constanze Schreiber uses mourning culture, often considered a taboo subject, to explore themes of memory, loss, and resilience, inviting us to reconsider our relationship with pain and recovery.
Constanze Schreiber. Bracelet: Memento Mori III, 2006. Fine silver. 10 x 10 x 3.5 cm. Inner Diameter: 6 cm. Photo by: Eddo Hartmann>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
Grief, often a deeply personal narrative, finds a poignant expression in the work of artist Stephie Morawetz, who materialises her own experience through 242 Pearls for 242 Days.
Awarded by the Legnica International Jewellery Competition 2024 for her "creative boldness, uncompromising attitude, and innovation," the piece takes the form of a necklace made from 242 ashes pearls, each representing a day spent caring for her grandmother before her passing. Like a chaplet of pearls, it becomes a metaphor for the unbroken cycle of mourning, embodying not only the pain of loss but also the process of purification and renewal. Fragile, ephemeral, and transforming suffering into living memory, the necklace will slowly disintegrate, leaving only a single thread behind.
Stephie Morawetz. Necklace: 242 Pearls for 242 Days, 2023. Ash, thread, silver dust, string beads & performance (video, 9'15 min). 190 cm>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
Art seeks to immortalise the fleeting moment, to capture the ephemeral, and to preserve emotion. And death is often explored by artists through the lens of time, particularly by evoking the natural cycle. By representing nature in its eternal renewal, artists remind us of the brevity of our existence and the inevitable passage of time, where the end of one cycle prepares the beginning of the next.
For the Macabre Masterpieces exhibition in Denmark in 2022, the artist Nanna Obel revisited an iconic symbol of mourning culture: the flower crown. Placed on graves, it symbolises that, even after a loved one's death, their memory remains intact and their presence preserved.
By depicting the cycle of a year through Danish flora, the crown becomes a symbol of time passing, but also of the immutability of memory, adding a timeless dimension to this traditional symbol. Passed down through generations, it reminds us of the transmission of grief as a cultural inheritance, much like mourning jewellery.
Nanna Obel. Piece: Sustainable Coffin Decoration – a tribute to bio and diversity, 2021. Silver, fine silver, enamel, 14k gold. 24 x 10 cm. Photo by: Ida Buus, Miklos Szabo>> More about this artwork and the author
To conclude this selection, let’s return to the idea drawn from our dear Memento Mori: Nothing in this world can escape its ultimate fate.
This fate, marked by loss, pain, and sorrow, also carries the idea of renewal. As in the cycle of nature, after the rain comes the sunshine, doesn't it? This wisdom finds particular resonance in the world of artist Mari Ishikawa, especially in her series Rebirth.
'The natural plants quietly show me that fact of rebirth. Various plant forms are portrayed with their shadows in cast silver pieces that I created into jewellery. Moonstones are woven into the surface with silk thread. A gleam of light on the surface, seemingly expecting a new life. Plants come and go as part of their life cycle. This is the illusion of plants, but also the celebration of rebirth and memories.' she says.
A red thread, a glimmer of light in a still life frozen by darkness.
Like the arrival of spring after a harsh winter.
Like a spark of hope announcing a certain future, though uncertainty lingers about what it will be.
Mari Ishikawa. Brooch: ReBirth, , 2021. 8 x 11.5 x 3 cm. Oxydised silver, silk.
>> More about this artwork ON SALE and the author
>> Discover other pieces exploring mourning on Klimt02
>> Discover other symbolic pieces on Klimt02
About the author
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Cécile Maes graduated from ENSA Limoges in design, specialising in Contemporary Jewellery. Her interest in jewellery grows from the human relationships games it involves. Social object, jewellery creates narratives and becomes a sign. Investigating classical typologies, her work is a re-interpretation where historical references and everyday exploration connect ideas to speak about jewellery, the reasons why we wear it and the meanings we give to it.
Mail: cilce.maes@gmail.com
Instagram: cilce_maes
- Author:
- Cécile Maes, Klimt02
- Edited by:
- Klimt02
- Edited at:
- Barcelona
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