Ex-libris (bookplate) - Gustavi Dirner

Gusztáv Dimer (1855-1912) was a professor at the University of Medical Sciences, first chairman of the Graphic Department of the St. George Guild, and also a well-known collector or ex libris. For him, József Faragó, a cartoonist and engraver made an ex libris piece typical of the age. The two most important topics are interpreted in the picture the mysterious woman and impenetrable fate. The composition shows the allegorical figure of death lurking behind the naked female figure. The symbolic picture is built upon the contrast of life a death, beautiful and ugly, deriving from the erotic and death-conscious attitude of the fin de siécle. The symbols appearing in the pictures are well-known from the iconography of vanity: a peacock, a mirror, a skeleton with a scythe.