Vanitas Still Life
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
32 1/2 x 21 1/4 in. (82.6 x 54 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charles B. Curtis, Marquand, Victor Wilbour Memorial, and The Alfred N. Punnett Endowment Funds, 1974
Accession Number
1974.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jacques de Gheyn II's *Vanitas Still Life*1603), an oil on wood panel measuring 32½ × 21¼ inches, exemplifies the early mastery of the vanitas genre Northern European art. Painted during the Dutch Golden Age's formative years, this work by the Dutch artist—renowned for his intricate botanical and symbolic compositions—captures everyday objects arranged with hyper-realistic precision. The choice of wood panel allowed for the fine brushwork that renders textures like delicate petals and metallic gleam with astonishing clarity, a technique that influenced later still-life masters. At its heart, ...