Aktfigur eines alten Mannes, das Knochengerüst seines rechten, auf den Kopf einer vor ihm knienden Frau gelegten Armes rot eingezeichnet c. 1851 - 1858

This study of a male nude by Victor Müller shows an old man with the skeleton of his right arm drawn in red, resting on the head of a kneeling woman. The symbolism here is rich. The skeletal arm, a *memento mori*, reminds us of our mortality, a motif seen in vanitas paintings and even ancient Roman art. The gesture of the arm resting on the woman's head is complex, reminiscent of blessing or laying on of hands, but here tinged with the knowledge of death. One can see parallels to depictions of prophets or wise elders bestowing wisdom, yet the stark contrast between the life affirming gesture and the bare bones imbues this with a sense of inevitability and profound, unsettling power. The image speaks to a deep, subconscious recognition of mortality. This symbol transcends Müller’s time. These motifs appear in many forms in different times and places and speak to something eternal within the human soul. It represents a kind of cultural memory.