Still life: An allegory of the vanities of human life

Steenwyck, Harmen van (1612-ca. 1656)

Item type:

painting

Date of creation:

ca. 1640

Height:

39.2 cm  (15 7/16 in.)

Width:

50.7 cm  (19 15/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

oil on oak

Description

The bell of a shawm is visible on the lower right; further back in the composition, a gleam of light accentuates the swelling form of a lute. Tucked beneath the skull, a recorder is clearly depicted. The musical instruments are symbols of earthly pleasures.

Iconclass

11R6
'Vanitas' still life

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Recorder [4039]
Shawm [4258]
Lute [3394]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

Bibliographic references

Wieseman, Marjorie E. Vermeer and music: The art of love and leisure (London: National Gallery Company, 2013) 58, cat. no. 18. RILM 2013-5919.

RIdIM record id

3560