Artwork

Still Life with Books, Sheet Music, Violin, Celestial Globe and an Owl

Still Life with Books, Sheet Music, Violin, Celestial Globe and an Owl is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob van Campen. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Created around 1650, this oil painting presents a carefully arranged still life that brings together scholarly and musical items.

About this work

Technique & Style

Executed in 1650, this still life by Jacob van Campen is an oil painting created on a wooden panel support.

Executed in 1650, this still life by Jacob van Campen is an oil painting created on a wooden panel support. The work measures 102 cm in height and 85.3 cm in width. As a representative example of the still life genre, the composition incorporates a complex arrangement of objects including books, sheet music, a violin, a celestial globe, and an owl.

The application of oil paint on panel was a standard technique for Dutch artists of this period, allowing for the detailed rendering of varied textures found in the depicted items.

History & Provenance

Jacob van Campen painted Still Life with Books, Sheet Music, Violin, Celestial Globe and an Owl in 1650 using oil on panel. The work measures 102 cm by 85.3 cm and depicts a celestial globe alongside books, sheet music, a violin, and an owl. It belongs to the still life genre and was created in the Dutch Golden Age.

The painting is part of the collection at the Rijksmuseum and was also held by Museum Flehite. Its creation date is recorded as 1650, with the celestial globe serving as a symbolic element within the composition.

Still Life with Books, Sheet Music, Violin, Celestial Globe and an Owl is held by the Rijksmuseum. It entered the collection with the accession number SK-A-284.

The work was exhibited in the Rijksmuseum's 2011 exhibition "Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Rijksmuseum Collection".

Overview

Created around 1650, this oil painting presents a carefully arranged still life that brings together scholarly and musical items. A stack of books, sheet music, a violin, a celestial globe, and an owl are positioned on a shelf, inviting the viewer to contemplate a collection of knowledge and artistic practice. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.

Subject & Meaning

The assortment of objects functions as a symbolic tableau: books and sheet music suggest learning and the arts; the globe points to scientific inquiry; the violin represents musical performance; the owl, traditionally a symbol of wisdom, crowns the arrangement. Together they evoke a quiet study space where intellectual and creative pursuits intersect.