(Bergamo 1757–1839)
Allegory of Death (the Grim Reaper),
oil on canvas, 106 x 79 cm, framed

In the present painting the traditional symbolism of vanitas, portraying the reality of death as a momento mori, has been depicted with an exuberant playfulness. A grinning head is attached to an animated skeletal corpus, shunning the customary representation of a skull, while the skeleton, complete with his jauntily cocked knee, seems to be resting before continuing on his way. The hourglass, still quite full of sand, is carelessly held while the skeleton perches on a broken column holding a scythe.

Bonomini’s paintings for Santa Grata Inter Vites in Bergamo perfectly exemplify his treatment of ‘living’ skeletons (see G. Brambilla Ranise, Paolo Vincenzo Bonomini, Bergamo, 2009 fig. XV, XVI, XVII and XVIII) The six paintings of I Macabri, traditionally exhibited in the church only for All Saints Day, portray skeletons, completely clothed and going about their daily business: a carpenter with his tools, an elegant couple adorned with hats and finery, a soldier with his drum, two monks bowed in prayer, and a peasant couple resting in the countryside. Included in the painting cycle is an artist painting the Grim Reaper.