Vanitas Still-Life
Can I see it?
Unknown
Where is “Vanitas Still-Life” now? Collection: The National Gallery, London. Unknown.
London, United Kingdom
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life is an oil-on-panel painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Harmen Steenwijck. Created around 1640, the work is an allegorical vanitas. It has been in the collection of the National Gallery in London since 1888.
The painting includes a skull, a large pot, an ornate Japanese sword, a sea shell, and a lute. There is also a book, a watch and the front of a trumpet or horn. Several of the pieces are arranged so that they rest uncomfortably close to the edge of the table. The left side of the painting features a shaft of light cutting through the image.
Read on
The skull in the painting is an obvious reminder of human mortality. One art critic thought that the painting symbolizes knowledge, wealth and mortality of human life. Another critic stated that the painting has an allegorical religious theme with the shaft of light representing a higher power.
Details
- Accession number
- NG1256
In the catalog
Sources
- Wikidata
- Image: The National Gallery — Harmen Steenwijck · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
