Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life

Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life

Artist: Harmen Steenwyck (Dutch, 1612 - 1656)

Original Dimensions: 15 3/8" x 20"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (About 1640) "There’s no doubt about where our gaze is directed here. A dramatic shaft of sunlight cuts through the gloom to highlight the empty eye sockets and gap-toothed grin of a skull which lolls to one side on the edge of the table. We are staring death in the face, while the snuffed-out lamp and ticking watch remind us that our time too will come. This genre of painting is known as a vanitas still life. The word refers to a passage in the Old Testament which contrasts the transience of worldly life with the everlasting nature of faith: ‘All is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?’ The implication is that human endeavours, pleasures and possession – symbolised by the books, the musical instruments and the expensive Japanese sword – are ephemeral and futile." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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Estimated painting completion:  4-6 weeks after you place your order.
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From artist to collector, one of a hundred.

Alexis Trembley

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Each artwork is printed on demand in a maximum print total of 100 numbered prints. Once the edition is sold out, it will never be reprinted.

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