Skeleton of Death
2003 © Maxim Tabachnik
Putti with GarlandPietàSkeleton of DeathLuis at St. Peter’s BasilicaLuis Resting at St Peter’s BasilicaNave and Baldachin of St Peter’sSt. Peter’s Square with IrinaInterior of St Peter’s BasilicaIrma and Alicia on St. Peter’s SquareEarly Christian Mosaic FloorBaldachin of St. Peter with Irma, Irina, and Alicia

Skeleton of DeathWorkshop of Bernini

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This gilt bronze skeleton (late 17th c.), beneath the tomb of Pope Alexander VII, was designed by Bernini and executed by his workshop. Holding an hourglass and partially veiled by marble drapery, it symbolizes the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death, merging Baroque theatricality with profound spiritual reflection.