Still Life with Flowers and Snacks by Georg Flegel

Georg Flegel's Still Life with Flowers and Snacks, oil on panel, circa 1630, from the State Hermitage Museum, is a masterclass in coded symbolism.

Note the tulip, which in the early 17th century was so valuable a single bulb could cost as much as a house. Beside it, an hourglass measures fleeting time, while a bowl of ripe cherries and a golden roasted chicken speak to earthly abundance.

The snuffed candlestick holder, a common memento mori symbol, reinforces the theme of life's transience.

Flegel, a pioneer of German still-life painting, expertly combined these elements to create a rich commentary on wealth, pleasure, and the brevity of existence.