Vanitas

Origin and background

The vanitas still life is a certain form of still life painting, which has developed during the baroque period in the sixteenth century. This vanitas model originated in the Netherlands and spread throughout the whole european continent over the years.

The term “Vanitas” can be translated as “vanity”. A vanitas still life should show that all this transience. All beauty, every treasure of this world is transient.

What initially looks like a simple still life with an aesthetic composition, is in fact only a reminder that everything passes away -a memory of death. The reason for the development of such a vanitas motive was probably to a large extent the Thirty Years’ War. Every day, people were confronted by war events with death and thus with the transience of everything and everyone. This led to the guiding idea that everything beautiful passes away and that we should always remember that everyone dies one day.

Description of a typical Vanitas painting

A typical vanitas still life initially consists of a few lifeless objects or bodies, which are usually composed together on a table or on another surface in order to create the best possible aesthetic effect on the viewer. Many of these motifs on a vanitas still life represent “Memento Mori” (translated this means as much as “memory of death”; all things thus function as symbols for the transience and death of human).
These props are divided into two groups: those which, as already explained, are symbols of transience, for example:

1. Fruits and plants:
   Fruits and blooming flowers are probably the best example of beauty, which only lasts for a short time. The beauty of such an object is transient. What is still considered precious and beautiful in the “heyday” is actually doomed to wither or die, just like human.

2. Musical instruments:
   Musical instruments such as a violins are often present on such a still life. Music is also transient. If you tune a note on an instrument, it sounds beautiful - but only for a short time, the sound gradually fades away.

3. Overturned glasses and broken vessels:
   Just as vessels fall over and break, so will human life, happiness and beauty.

4. Animal carcasses, bones and skulls:
   Remains of dead creatures are a frequently used element, which is probably the clearest and most direct “Memento Mori”. It shows the viewer the hard truth: Everyone will die. The skull, which is the most typical “Memento Mori” on a vanitas still life and is never missing, is supposed to represent the future mirror image of the viewer.

5. Clocks or hourglasses: These objects show us that time is running out; that we are getting a little closer to death every second.

6. Blown out candle: The flame, which is also comparable to the soul or life of man, is condemned to extinguish at some point.


The other group is that of the seemingly immortal, always beautiful things. For example, these are books, jewellery and other valuable treasures.

The background of such a vanitas stilllife is usually an inconspicuous, dark wall. Often there is a clear light source, such as a window visible in the mirror image, or a burning candle. Parts of the background are often illuminated by a warm light.
Some of the most famous and important vanitas still lifes are listed and briefly described below.

1. Vanitas still life with self-portrait by artist Pieter Claesz

The Painting was painted in the year 1628 and is considered one of the best-known vanitas still lifes. It was painted by the netherlandish artist Pieter Claesz, the most famous representative of the Vanitas style. It’s Oil on wood; It’s about 35 x 59 centimeters large and today you can visit it in the “Germanistisches Nationalmuseum” in Nuremberg, Germany.
In the middle of the picture there is a violin on a large wooden table, to the right of the instrument there is a skull. Other tools and instruments such as a pen and a clock with striking mechanism are arranged unsystematically in front of it. The special thing about this work of art is the glass ball, which dominates the left half of the picture with its size and strong reflection. In it the artist himself, Pieter Claesz can be recognized. In addition, you can see the light source in the mirror image, namely the window of the studio. The background is dark; it becomes brighter and brighter towards the right edge of the image.

2. Vanitas Still Life by artist Jacob Marell

This Painting was made in the year 1637 by the German still life painter Jacob Marell. It is still considered a great masterpiece and an important image from the Baroque period. It’s Oil on canvas and it’s about 93 x 80 centimeters large.
In the picture you can see a flower vase, which stands out due to the variety and colourfulness of the flowers. To the right of this there is a violin and a skull, which was placed on a pile of books. In the glass flower vase you can recognize the artist himself and his studio through the mirror image. The picture also shows an open book; it shows text and notes to a love song. In the background of the picture you can see in the upper left and right edge of the picture a little angel, which should symbolize love.

Other famous Vanitas Still Life paintings

Other well-known Vanitas paintings are for example:

1. “Vanitas” by Jacques de Gheyn II. (painted in the year 1603, Oil on wood, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

2. “Allegory of Vanitas” by Harmen van Steenwijck (painted in the year 1640, Oil on wood, National Gallery, London)

3. “Memento Mori” by Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (painted in the year 1663)

4. “Self-Portrait with Vanitas Symbols” by David Bailly (painted in the year 1651, Oil on wood, Stedelijk Museum, Leiden)