Identificatie van de portretten op het schilderij Professor Andreas Bonn opent de tekenzaal van de Maatschappij Felix Meritis te Amsterdam 1780 - 1829

Hendrik Willem Caspari crafted this drawing, now at the Rijksmuseum, depicting Professor Andreas Bonn inaugurating the drawing room of the Felix Meritis Society in Amsterdam. Dominating the scene is the stark presence of human forms, both living and skeletal, symbols deeply entwined with themes of mortality and knowledge. We see this motif echoed through time. Consider the memento mori in ancient Roman art, where skulls and skeletons served as reminders of life's transience. Yet, here, in the Enlightenment, the skeleton is not merely a symbol of death but an object of scientific inquiry, an emblem of rational investigation into the human body. The tension between the corporeal and the skeletal reveals a collective subconscious grappling with mortality. This scene engages viewers on a profound level, stirring primal fears and intellectual curiosity. The cyclical nature of these symbols is evident as they resurface and evolve, reflecting humanity’s persistent quest to understand life and death.