MASTERPIECE

On the back of the diptych, Jan Provoost prompts us to consider the transience of life. The skull, placed in a niche, reminds us of our own mortality. The rebus on the frame further reinforces this message. The exact ‘translation’ of this inscription into Middle French is not entirely certain, but what is clear is that this message is a ‘memento mori’. It tells us that death may be difficult to contemplate, but that it is also good to do so: if you dwell on your mortality during your lifetime, you can already prepare for your fate in the afterlife. In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the rebus – the playing with words and images – became increasingly popular. This involves not only replacing a written word with an image, but also plays on similarities in sound and associations in meaning. It also incorporates the interplay between different languages. So, we must try a little harder to understand this message, which must have made it an intellectual challenge as early as the 16th century.