Metal bookmark of a Roman miniature bronze skeleton in the collection of the Getty Villa Museum.
- Dimensions:1.14" W x 4.38" L (not including tassel)
- Metal electro-plated with non-tarnishing silver finish, giclee print, and a tassel cord
- Made in USA
- Item #: GBMSKLTN
Made of bronze, this 1st century Roman articulated skeleton in the collection of the Getty Museum features round eye sockets and a wide, grinning mouth with large upper teeth. Its arms now missing and only the upper part of one leg remaining, the skeleton, referred to by the Romans as larva convivalis, meaning banquet ghost, was once made to jump and dance and was a reminder of the brevity of human life, and necessity of profiting from the short time which remained. In Petronius’ satirical novel, The Satyricon (CE 60s), Trimalchio, the crass, nouveau-rich host of a dinner party, brings out a small skeleton between courses. With its flexible joints, Trimalchio poses the skeleton in various ways, and recites a poem to the affect that life is short and should be enjoyed before becoming a skeleton like the one on display. He declares “Alas for us poor mortals. Thus we shall be, after Hades takes us away. Therefore, let us live while it goes well with us.”
In total, there are ten similar skeletons that are known to exist, one in silver, one in wood, and the remaining in bronze. All of the skeletons have much in common stylistically. The unanatomical rendering of the bones, a feature shared by all the skeletons, reveals the artists’ and craftsperson’s lack of scientific accuracy. It was perhaps more important that the bony specters were lively; hence; their articulation and resulting fluid and dancing movements were emphasized.
Source Object:
Miniature Skeleton
Artist/Maker: Unknown
Culture: Roman
Date: 25 BCE–CE 100
Medium: Bronze
Object Number: 78.AB.307
Dimensions: 6.6 × 2 × 1 cm (2 5/8 × 13/16 × 3/8 in.)
Shipping costs are now calculated based on your package’s size, weight, and destination to keep pricing transparent and accurate. While our free shipping offer has retired, we’ve worked hard to keep rates as reasonable as possible.
International friends: any duties, taxes, or customs fees are set by your country and are your responsibility. We’ll handle the rest with care!
Certain product lines are shipped directly from the manufacturer and may incur additional shipping costs.
Our goal is to get your order to you quickly, safely, and at a fair rate. If something about your shipping total looks off, message us through chat — we’re happy to take a look and help!
Want to make sure you don't miss out on our most popular items? Pre-ordering is the perfect way to guarantee you get what you want! When you place a pre-order, that item is exclusively reserved for you and immediately taken off our regular inventory, avoiding the disappointment of it selling out. Secure your must-have items knowing they are set aside just for you.
While we strive to get your pre-orders to you as quickly as possible, please understand that production and shipping timelines are managed by our manufacturers, and we have limited control over these dates. This means pre-order items have estimated ship-by dates. Rest assured, we prioritize shipping pre-orders within 24 hours of receiving them at our warehouse.
For seasonal items, we aim to ship by the following target dates:
Valentine's Day: January 1st
St. Patrick's Day: January 30th
Easter/Spring: February 1st
Patriotic: March 1st
Summer: March 30th
Halloween: July 1st
Thanksgiving/Harvest: August 1st
Christmas: August 15th-September 15th (depending on the maker)
Be the first to get the latest and greatest with our pre-order program! For the most up-to-date information on a specific pre-order item or for more precise delivery information, our chat support team is happy to help!
Jewelry
Shop All
Vintage-Inspired Accessories
Clothing & Shoes
Great Gifts
Lipstick & Chrome
Erstwilder
Laliblue
CherryLoco
Makokot Design
ChickenScratch Art Jewelry
Rosie Rose Parker
Handbags
Blind Boxes
Statement Earrings
Viral Needlepoint Pillows
Embroidered Geography Pillows
Puzzles
Paws-itively Perfect Gifts for Dog Lovers
Purr-fect Gifts for Cat Lovers
Gifts for Potterheads
Shinesty
Spongelle
Zodiac Gifts
Profusion Cosmetics
Gifts for LGBTQ+ Pride
Dreamy, Giftable Artwork
Wall Art
Floor Vinyls
Gathered Traditions Dolls by Joe Spencer
Patriotic
Summerween
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Spring / Easter
Valentine's Day