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Gawen Goodman of Ruthin is shown aged fifty-six, wearing a memorial ring.  The skull is a reminder of our own mortality. The inscriptions include the Christian reflections Deum timere (Fear God) and Iesus est amor meus (Jesus is my love). He is portrayed as a devout, respectable man, but the poet Thomas Prys wrote of him, 'If he once gets at the wines of a town, he'll not come home without tripping: well I know how he can drink his share; If there's sack to be had, he'll not put up with gruel. A generous and godly man is Gawain-when in his cups.’

This work is currently on display:

Gallery 10

National Museum Cardiff, level 4

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