Artwork
El Tiempo destruyendo la Hermosura
El Tiempo destruyendo la Hermosura is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Giovanni Domenico Cerrini. It dates from 1601 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By placing these symbols within the scene, the artist conveys the philosophical meaning that time ultimately prevails over all earthly forms.
Giovanni Domenico Cerrini's painting depicts the allegorical theme of Time destroying Beauty. The composition visually represents this concept through specific iconographic elements, including a book and an hourglass. These objects serve as traditional symbols of the passage of time and the transience of human knowledge and existence.
The work functions as a memento mori, illustrating the inevitable decay of physical beauty and material achievements. By placing these symbols within the scene, the artist conveys the philosophical meaning that time ultimately prevails over all earthly forms.
Technique & Style
El Tiempo destruyendo la Hermosura is executed in oil paint on panel, a support choice consistent with Italian seventeenth-century practice. The composition is structured around allegorical attributes, including a book and an hourglass, which serve as the principal iconographic devices organizing the painted surface. The work measures 260 cm in height by 228 cm in width, giving it a substantial vertical format suited to its allegorical subject.
Held in the Museo del Prado, the painting is catalogued as an oil-on-panel work by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini, with its material and dimensions documented in the collection record.
History & Provenance
El Tiempo destruyendo la Hermosura is an oil painting by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini dated 1601. The work entered the Spanish royal collection, where it was owned by Ferdinand VII of Spain. It is now part of the holdings of the Museo del Prado.
The Wikidata entry also lists an inception date of 1650, which conflicts with the 1601 date given in the primary source; the 1601 dating is treated as authoritative.
El Tiempo destruyendo la Hermosura is held by the Museo del Prado, where it remains on view as part of the permanent collection. The work is catalogued under inventory number P00968. It entered the museum's holdings through the royal collection of Ferdinand VII of Spain.
Overview
Created in 1601, this oil painting titled El Tiempo destruyendo la Hermosura exemplifies early Italian Baroque aesthetics. Executed by Giovanni Domenico Cerrini, a Perugian artist active in Rome, the work now belongs to the Museo del Prado’s collection.
Context
The work reflects the early Baroque fascination with allegorical themes, particularly the fleeting nature of beauty and the passage of time. Its iconography, hourglass, broken column, and scattered texts, aligns with contemporary moralizing motifs that warned viewers of inevitable decay.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Domenico Cerrini (1609–1681), also called Gian Domenico Cerrini or il Cavalier Perugino, was a painter of the Baroque period, born in Perugia and active mainly in Rome and influenced in large part by painters of the Bolognese…
- The angel appears to Hagar in the desert
Aurora Taking Leave of Tithonus
Diana and Endymion
St. Juliana of Nicomedia defeats the devil
Hagar and the Angel
Aurora y Thyton
Saint Agatha Attended by Saint Peter and an Angel in Prison
The liberation of saint Peter
Athena and Odysseus
Juno, Io and Argus
Mary Magdalene
Neptune and Сoronis