Rijksmuseum

Still Life with Books

Date

c. 1628 - c. 1629

Medium

panel, oil paint (paint)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

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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