Still Life with Books

Rijksmuseum

Still Life with Books

Creator

Jan Davidsz. de Heem

Dutch-Flemish painter (1606–1684) · 1606–1684

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Date
c. 1628 - c. 1629
Medium
panel, oil paint (paint)
Institution
Rijksmuseum
Object ID
SK-A-2565

From the Rijksmuseum record

Grey and brown tints dominate this composition, and a shadow spreads slowly over the wall. The painting alludes to the fleetingness of life. The battered books allude to transience. The music produced by the lute is momentary, a symbol of the brevity of life. A literal reference to death is inscribed on the sheet of paper draped over the table’s edge: ‘finis’ ([the] end).

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