the skull of human head, death's head, it was only a matter of time before skull iconography was everywhere ............................................................. [111logo.gif] [USEMAP:faccine_page.gif] ......................... shop .................. competitions .............. education ................ interviews ................... snapshots ................... history .......... contemporary [shop.gif] --- death's head symbol there is a definite seriousness to the human skull. bound by mortality, death’s head has long been the mark we associate with secret societies, toxic substances and black-flagged pirate ships serving most commonly as a warning to those who fear putting their lives at risk. dangerous and horrific, this image certainly doesn’t seem like an obvious icon for fashionable living. which is why it’s surprising that not only does this mark turn up on this days tattoos, t-shirts, trucker hats, but also must-have designer toys, so what’s the deal? is the human skull still the same signifier it once was, from ancient iconography to its appearance alongside a history of alienated youth culture - or is it placed in the running for some kind of image makeover? --- meaning quite few objects have no traditional and symbolic meaning. ‘nihil est in rebus inane’ (there is nothing senseless in things) was already proclaimed by roemer visscher in his book of emblems, 1614... today the skull has been re-made conceptually (at least aesthetically) but no nonsense can fatally destroy the memory of meaning. --- lugubrious emblem of human mortality victory of death over life: commonly the skull is a symbol of death, (or some romantic notion of immortality - as the befief that a spiritual part of a person survives death). --- vanitas think of the scene from shakespeare's hamlet where the prince holds a skull of yorick, a former servant, bemoaning the pointlessness and temporary nature of worldly matters. certain themes characteristic of a specific philosophy have been commonly represented during an era, and an iconography has been developed to express them. an example is the still life vanitas vanitatum of the middle ages, a reminder of the transitory quality of earthly pleasure symbolized by a skull. pictorial arrangements are dealing with the vanity of the intellectual world (globe, books), and of the 'vita voluptaria' (musical instruments, smoking implements). often painters continued the old tradition of including appropriate captions or texts on their pictures. the favourite was the admonition from ecclesiastes I: ‘vanity of vanities; all is vanity'. the transience of human existence is often brought out also by other symbols like the candle and the hourglass. --- transcendence of temporal existence the inclusion of the skull makes explicit the essential finiteness of man and the limitation of human knowledge. a metaphor for understanding, to that of GOD. (human vision and knowledge is necessarily limited by time and place, while GOD can see and know all things at all times). in hans holbein’s painting ‘the ambassadors’ the anamorphic skull can be connected to the contrast between discursive reason and intellectual vision as different stages of human knowledge. the stable, balanced, serene coposition is interrupted only by a long gray shape that rises diagonally from the floor. when viewed from the proper angle, this shape is recognized as a skull in reflecting holbein's interest in symbolism and radical perspectives. the skull disrupts our trust in the cartesian perspective center in the same way, our trust in our own reality (belief systems) becomes distabilised. it is thought that this might have been holbein's favorite painting, because it is the only one he signed with his full name. --- magical protection charm the skull has been given strong religious connotations in several cultures. among the people of india and neighboring regions, the skull necklace is an iconographic ‘memento mori’ (meaning ‘remember that you must die’) worn by certain gods and goddesses, most notably siva in his ascetic form and kali in her wrathful form. skull necklaces are also worn by the wrathful aspects of allied tibetan and nepalese deities such as kurukulla - and necklaces and prayer beads carved from animal or human bones in the form of skulls are popular with their devotees. --- the death-resurrection cycle the skull and crossbone symbol is also used in initiation rituals as a symbol of rebirth. it may also symbolize the ‘sephirah daath’ on the kabbalistic tree of life, the gateway to the higher realms of understanding only achievable through spiritual death and rebirth. a skull did not inspire horror, on the contrary, it symbolised the promise of a new life. --- good luck the age-old links between religion, protection, and luck. in pre - columbian america, the skull was given an honoured place in the religious iconography of the aztecs and related tribes of mexico. their descendents, both indians and people of mixed european and native american heritage, continue to venerate the skull and the skeleton during the national ‘day of the dead’ ceremonies, when skulls made of sugar are eaten and offerings are placed on the graves of deceased relatives and friends. mexicans looked upon death as one more misfortune to contend with, but they also regarded it as the ultimate liberation. it was one of the most popular forms of ancient mexican ornament and in modern mexico the skull is still used in humorous drawing, in toys and candy. --- christianity the skull as an emblem occurs frequently in christianity, inspired by golgotha, the place of the skull, where christ was crucified. it was the burial place where adam's skull lay directly under the cross so the blood of jesus could drip on it, thus washing away the original sin (there was no mention of eve - official theology was always vague about whether jesus' death had really washed away original sin or not). the christian concept of christ there dying on the cross would explain the crossed bones (?). skulls are associated with such penitent saints as st francis of assisi, st jerome and st mary magdalene. when included in depictions of them the skull may have a cross placed nearby. --- reverse bad luck hard-core gamblers have also adopted the ‘reverse bad luck’ of the skull for iconograhic purposes. in this context the skull, along with dice rolling sevens and black cats, symbolizes luck in adversity. --- danger signal the recognised symbol for danger is the skull and crossbones or for poisonous substances, especially visible on containers of cleaning solutions. displayed on a black cloth back ground make up the pirate's flag commonly known as the jolly roger. it was certainly a most intimidating symbol for the carribean pirate who attacked and looted ships. (the pirate flag were to symbolise that death awaited those whom the pirates encountered). --- masonry the skull and crossbones or a crossed hoe and sceptre (symbols of sovereignty) and a skull above them, are important emblems in masonry, where it symbolizes the hierarchic structure and the transience of the material world. US presidents bill clinton and george w. bush both are members of the ‘skull and bones’ society... --- symbol of hate the death’s head was the symbol of the ‘SS-totenkopf verband’ (one of the original three branches of the SS, along with the allgemeine SS and the waffen SS), whose purpose was to guard the concentration camps. most of the original members of this organization were later transferred into and became the core of a waffen SS division, the death’s head division. the symbol is most often seen in tattoos. --- machismo bikers and low-riders, as well as some members of the military, utilize the skull as a significator of reckless machismo barely protected from disaster or of doomed bravery that accepts its fate. --- why teenagers twigged at the potential of skull icons one of the greatest challenges facing adolescence has always been, ‘are we being taken seriously?’ according to subculture mythology the skull is a symbol of defiance. death defiance, initially, though as the popularity of the skull image started to spread amongst teenagers during the early 80s it became, for parent culture, a symbol of nightmarish youth: teen violence, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity and other behaviors expressed as self-defeating. --- heavy metal merchandise too self-defeating and of course too melancholy for the middle of the road paying public, well, too melancholy until heavy metal broke through. the skull toting style of heavy metal that most of us remember is in no way threatening or as charged with class warfare as say punk. in fact, at its peak heavy metal was pop and was able to perfectly recast the great equalizer, death, in all together a much brighter light. taking the lead with loud guitars, theatrical make-up, and narratives surrounding adolescent male sexual fantasies, heavy metal created a merchandise empire out of badges, t-shirts, flags, and promo videos that consistently displayed the popular skull-garnished mascots of each band. metal heads were able to render the skull ‘public property and profitable merchandise’. (hebdige) --- scary fun the skull at halloween is a very popular item in haunted houses and a favorite design theme for masks, costumes, lanterns, candies and halloween decorations...... defiantly scary! --- fear in particular the fear of things out of our control like cold war paranoia or fast forward to more recent times, millennial shut downs and the uncertainty of biological warfare. all the cult elements - dissent, angst, and misunderstanding - are firmly attached to skull iconography. skull T-shirts? if nothing else, donning an image of a skull infers that the wearer has made some effort to overcome our imposed culture of fear. --- discrimination robert mapplethorpe attached his own face to a skull adorned walking stick – like a dead end for his journey. without disturbing details, the skull underlines the suffering on his face. probably he knew at that time about his fatal illness - the absolute certainty of AIDS. it was the unknown death, not a disease to live with as it might be considered now. in mapplethorpes’ work the skull is more than a death symbol, it’s a symbol for all the aids phobia and the discrimination era that took place in the 1980’s. --- new age crystals have been regarded as magical talismans since the middle ages and are today the sine qua non of the new age movement. ... possibly brought before from other planets, crystal skulls of apparently ancient origin have been found in parts of mexico, central america and south america. --- commerce driven co-opt of youth culture or expression of your inner pirate? the skull with two crossed bones are often displayed on rings , necklaces, tatoos, jacket patches, decals and T-shirts of those making a statement they feel is best expressed by displaying a skull symbol. -- interesting reading (and credits): skull control by jason evans http://theblowup.com/07/Projects/Skull/index.html historical pirate flags http://www.kipar.org/society/author/pirates-history/pirate-flags.html a reference, searchable by description, of thousands of symbols. http://www.symbols.net masonry exposed http://www.trosch.org/bks/msnc/masonic-pres-our-ctry-l.jpg --- [025x025_red.gif] ------- monthly designboom newsletter ______________________________ Submit ------- [025x025_red.gif] ------- ? comments and contact us ? ------- [1.jpg] you might want to express your inner pirate [2.jpg] skull neon light [3.jpg] tibetan bone skull bracelet, 19th century --- [4.jpg] ‘the ambassadors’, hans holbein, 15th century [5.jpg] vanitas painting by harmen steenwijck, c. 1640 [6.jpg] a man holding a skull, michael sweerts, 1650 ca. [7.jpg] still-life with a skull (vanitas) by philippe de champaigne, about 1655 [8.jpg] skull of a skeleton with burning cigarette, vincent van gogh, 1886 [9.jpg] ‘pyramid of skulls’ by paul cézanne , ca. 1901 [10.jpg] still life with skull, leeks and pitcher, pablo picasso, 1945 [11.jpg] death head by salvator dali [12.jpg] self portrait by robert mapplethorpe, 1988 [tm.gif]