What do a bubble, a skull, and a flower have in common? They are symbols of life’s fragility. These are elements often seen in a vanitas painting, a type of still-life. In this video, we explore Jacques de Gheyn II’s 1603 vanitas painting and the larger vanitas tradition that flourished in early modern Europe. Skulls, smoke, flowers, coins, and bubbles could convey to viewers that life, beauty, and wealth are fleeting.

Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

CHAPTERS

0:00 The meaning of vanitas

0:50 Vanitas paintings and still lifes

1:16 Symbols of mortality and follow: skulls, bubbles, flowers, smoke, coins, and medals

2:43 Implied Christian symbolism

3:19 Human vanity and ancient Greek philosophers, Democritus and Heraclitus

3:36 Why vanitas paintings mattered

Learn more

• Discover more about early modern Europe: https://www.artsq.org/early-modern-europe

• Learn more about Fall and Spooky Season: https://www.artsq.org/fall-and-spooky-season