Memento Mori

I'm in the midst of frenzied studying for finals. Right now I'm working through art history notes, although I think I'm going to have to head to bed soon. And then I have a full day of cramming for lit theory and Shakespeare tomorrow. Bleh. Anyway. One of the paintings I just read about is "Flower Still Life" by Rachel Ruysch, which is very pretty, but also introduces the concepts of a vanitas subject and a memento mori. Basically, a vanitas painting is one in which all of the elements symbolize the transience of life and a memento mori is a specific object intended to remind the viewer of the inevitability of death and the brevity of life. Flowers function as a memento mori because they have a brief life span and thier beauty fades quickly. I like this picture as a memento mori because you can already see death beginning to eat away at the edges of the petals. It's still beautiful though.