Artwork
Vanitas Still Life
Vanitas Still Life is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Evert Collier. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Evert Collier's 1662 oil painting Vanitas Still Life presents a tableau of objects that together signal the vanitas theme.
Evert Collier's 1662 oil painting Vanitas Still Life presents a tableau of objects that together signal the vanitas theme. The composition includes a human skull, an open book, pieces of jewelry, a violin, and a globe. These items are arranged alongside other still‑life elements typical of the genre.
As its title indicates, the work belongs to the vanitas tradition, which uses such symbols to remind viewers of life's brevity, the futility of earthly wealth and knowledge, and the inevitability of death.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1662 by Evert Collier, this vanitas still life is realized in oil paint on a panel support. The work measures 94 centimeters in height and 112.1 centimeters in width. Stylistically, the composition adheres to the genre's conventions by assembling a complex arrangement of symbolic objects, including a human skull, books, jewelry, a violin, and a globe.
These elements are organized to convey moralizing themes regarding the transience of life and the futility of worldly pursuits. The painting's material construction and subject matter reflect the detailed realism characteristic of Dutch still-life traditions of the period.
History & Provenance
Vanitas Still Life, an oil-on-panel painting by Evert Collier, was created in 1662, as documented in the work's entry in the Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue. The composition, featuring a book, jewelry, a skull, a music book, a violin, a globe, and other vanitas symbols, measures 94 cm by 112.1 cm. The painting was acquired from the collection of William T. Blodgett and entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it bears accession number 71.19. No documentation indicates a specific commission, and no exhibition history is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Vanitas Still Life, presents a densely arranged collection of objects on a table. The composition features a variety of items, ranging from scholarly tools to symbols of earthly pleasure and inevitable decay. Through its careful selection and arrangement of these elements, the artwork invites contemplation on the transient nature of human existence and the ultimate futility of worldly pursuits.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Evert Collier (26 January 1642 – few days before 8 September 1708) was a Dutch Golden Age still-life painter known for vanitas and trompe-l'œil paintings.
