Memento Mori, Memento Vive: Garland With Heron And Skull.

Memento mori, memento vive: Garland with Heron and skull.

Technique: tempera on canvas.
Signed below: G. Borgogelli-Ottaviani, probably refers to the Italian aristocratic family, with properties in the Marche region, to which the painting belonged

This painting represents a male gray heron in all its elegance. The artist was able to masterly capture every detail of the bird's plumage.
The painting has a simple painted wooden frame that goes well without distracting attention from the main work.

On the back of the painting there are scribbles and a profile caricature drawing representing a woman with a large nose, accompanied by the writing "sorry Gabriella if I offended you". This is a nice joke by the artist, who wanted to leave a trace of his personality and her humour.
The title we gave to the painting is "Memento mori, memento vive" invites us to remember death, but also to enjoy life. The painting expresses this message with its double aspect: on the one hand, nature and the heron that they celebrate the beauty of life, on the other, the caricature drawing and the writing that recall the fragility and irony of human existence.

The skull that appears in the wreath framing the heron could belong to a wild animal, such as a deer or a wild boar. In both cases, the skull symbolizes the end of a life cycle and the memory of what has been.