Ivory model of back-to-back skull and head

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The ivory model depicts two human heads, one back to front, infested with worms and toads. On one side, a human face is consumed by wriggling worms; on the other, a skull teems with toads after the worms have devoured its flesh. Although little is known about this carving, it's believed to be a memento mori – a poignant reminder of death's inevitability and life's fleeting nature. The skull symbolized mortality from the 1500s onwards, whereas previously death was represented as a skeleton accompanied by a living victim. This model was acquired in 1932 from a private collection in Rome, Italy.