vanitas (still lifes)

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Scope note
Refers to still lifes in which the objects depicted are overt reminders of mortality, the transcience of human life, and the ultimate worthlessness of earthly possessions, such as hourglasses, scales, mirrors, skulls, and symbols of wealth, learning, and power such as jewels, books, and armor. Such still lifes, unlike most others, have religious overtones. This type of still life, developed in Leiden, was especially popular in 17th-century Dutch painting. The name cames from a passage in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible.
vanitas
Accepted term: 22-Apr-2024