The most common motif is a skull, often accompanied by one or more bones. The concept has its roots in the philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity, and appeared in funerary art and architecture from the medieval period onwards. Memento mori ( Latin for 'remember that you die' ) is an artistic or symbolic trope acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death. The bones rest on a brick, a symbol of his former industry and achievement. 1452) show the skull of the patron displayed on the inner panels. The outer panels of Rogier van der Weyden's Braque Triptych ( c.
For other uses, see Memento mori (disambiguation). This article is about the philosophical reminder of death's inevitability.