Watch in the Form of a Skull

Description This Victorian watch in the form of a skull seems to have been designed to remind the wearer of his or her mortality, although the in the nineteenth century novelty jewelry was very popular, so the meaning may have been more light-hearted. Inside the hinged jaw is a small watch.

Provenance William T., or, more likely, Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Inscription] On bottom: Memento Mori, I. C. Thorne 1885

Credit Acquired before 1931