Vanitas (Latin for “emptiness”) and memento mori (Latin for “remember you must die”) are traditions within art that remind viewers of life’s transience. Popular in 16th–17th century Northern Europe, especially the Dutch Golden Age, these artworks use symbols — skulls, extinguished candles, wilting flowers, hourglasses — to reflect on mortality, the futility of wealth, and the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures.