Family of Skeletons, Spain 18th century

Family of Skeletons, Spain 18th century

Oil on linen by José López Enguídanos (1751-1812), Inventory no: 0078, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid.

This image strikingly portrays a family of skeletons, standing against a dark backdrop, which seems to bring forth the concept of "Vanitas" from early modern art. This genre symbolizes the fragility and transience of life and serves as a reminder of mortality. 

The robust interconnectedness of the bones in the skulls, which often remained as the only physical testimony to a once-living being, is particularly evident here. Such images serve not only as a reflection on the brevity of existence but also on the profound belief that the skeletons were more than mere bones; they were the vessels of the soul. Usually, however, to be represented were single skeletons, not families, as in this case. Probably the subject portrays only two skeletons, mother and sun, mirrored.

This haunting depiction is a powerful representation of the caducity of life, distilled down to its skeletal essence, yet resonant with profound metaphysical and ethical implications.

José López Enguídanos y Perlés, a Spanish painter and engraver from Valencia, studied art in his hometown and later in Madrid, becoming a disciple of Mariano Salvador Maella. Noted for winning prestigious art competitions, he worked with Antonio Ponz and, under Manuel Godoy's patronage, became an honorary chamber painter. He specialized in still life paintings, several now housed at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, and produced educational engravings. José passed away in Madrid in 1812. His work, both in painting and in engravings, has left a lasting imprint on Spanish art history.