Memento Mori, "To This Favour"1879 · Study 1965.235

Context from the museum

The Latin term memento mori describes a traditional subject in art that addresses mortality. In Harnett’s example, the extinguished candle, spent hourglass, and skull symbolize death. A quote from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet , inscribed on the inside cover of a tattered book, reinforces the theme. It comes from the play’s famed graveyard scene where Hamlet discovers a skull and grimly ponders his beloved Ophelia, ironically unaware that she is already dead. The "paint" in the quote not only refers to Ophelia’s makeup, but also wittily evokes the artifice of Harnett’s picture.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Harnett’s family left Ireland during the potato famine and emigrated to the United States.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Memento Mori, "To This Favour" is 81.5 cm wide and 61.3 cm high, equivalent to approximately 32.1 × 24.1 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.33:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.50 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 27.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 109.3 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Memento Mori, "To This Favour" in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 81.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?