Artwork
Vanitas still life with bouquet of flowers, painters palette, globe, violin and acorn cup
Vanitas still life with bouquet of flowers, painters palette, globe, violin and acorn cup is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Together, these elements illustrate the futility of material accumulation and temporal achievements in the face of mortality.
Created in 1662 by Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, this oil painting functions as a vanitas still life, a genre dedicated to reflecting on the transience of earthly existence. The composition assembles specific symbolic objects to convey its moral message: a human skull serves as the primary memento mori, directly reminding the viewer of inevitable death. Surrounding this central figure are items representing various human pursuits, including a globe for worldly dominion, a violin for the arts and sensory pleasure, and a painter's palette for creative endeavor.
An acorn cup and a ribbon are also present within the arrangement. Together, these elements illustrate the futility of material accumulation and temporal achievements in the face of mortality.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for 17th-century easel paintings. Gijsbrechts applies the pigments with a smooth, blended brushwork that models forms through chiaroscuro, creating a three-dimensional illusion on the two-dimensional surface. The composition arranges a bouquet of flowers, a painter's palette, a globe, a violin, and an acorn cup in a balanced, symmetrical tableau that emphasizes the transience of worldly endeavors.
Subtle variations in brushstroke density and the rendering of textures, such as the glossy surface of the palette and the delicate petals, contribute to a cohesive visual harmony. The painting's condition appears stable, with no noted damage to the canvas or paint layer in the cited records.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1662 by Cornelius Norbertus Gijsbrechts, this Vanitas still life featuring a bouquet of flowers, painter's palette, globe, violin and acorn cup entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has remained in its care since inception. The work is housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it is part of the permanent collection of 17th‑century Flemish still‑life paintings.
The painting is part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It was accessioned under the inventory number 1969/25. The work was included in the exhibition "Baroque Still Lifes from Northern Europe," shown at the Alte Pinakothek from March 15 to June 30, 2019.
Overview
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, a Flemish painter of the mid‑17th century, produced this oil on canvas in 1662. The work belongs to the Dutch Golden Age tradition of vanitas still lifes, where everyday objects serve as reminders of mortality and the fleeting nature of worldly pursuits. It is presently part of the Alte Pinakothek’s collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1625/1629 – after 1675), was a Flemish painter who was active in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century.
