Female Figure with a Skull in Her Hand

Allegorical sculptural images are common attributes of "castrum doloris" funeral ceremonies. Sculptures from sacred ensembles include an allegorical figure holding a skull. The elongated, full-figured female figure in the contrapposto pose is restrained and static. There is a sense of peace and balance in the posture, with the body leaning slightly to the left, the turn of the head with its neatly styled hair, and the position of the hands. Her face is not particularly pretty, with a straight nose, clearly defined straight eyebrow lines, deep-set eyes with lowered eyelids, and heavy cheeks. The woman is wearing a long dress with a corset, covered with smooth lines of folds that slowly fall down, with a cape fastened on the left shoulder. In her right hand, she holds a symbolic attribute – a skull, and in her left, bent hand, there is another attribute, which has not survived, to which the woman's gaze is directed. The work is notable for its generalised drapery pattern and the image's soft modelling.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery