Unknown
Italian, 17th c.

Vanitas, 1650/60 ca.
Oil on canvas
62 1/2 x 80 1/4"

Glasgow Museums, Bequest of Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, 1967
PC.26

COMMENTS

Type of painting concerned with the fragility of man and his world of desires and pleasures in the face of the inevitability and finality of death. It is essentially a biblical term, referring to the vanity of earthly possessions: the corresponding Hebrew term means 'smoke ' or 'vapor'. The "vanitas" tradition, which also appears in Western literature and other representational arts, was a particularly important element in paintings in the Netherlands in the 17th century.

A "vanitas" still-life is distinguished by the presence of traditional symbols such as the skull and other human remains. A skull, as symbol of mortality, and a carnation, emblem of the hope for eternal life, appear in Dirk Jacobsz' portrait "Pompeius Occo", ca. 1531. In Bartholomaeus Bruyn's "Vanitas Still-life" (1524), the skull and candle symbolize the shortness of life, and the inscription reads: "Everything is conquered by death, death is the end of things". A "putto" blowing bubbles, another way of indicating the fragility of human existence, is found on the back of Cornelius Ketel's "Portrait of a Man", 1574. The "verso" is inscribed in Greek: 'Man is a soap bubble'.

Undoubtedly, portrait "versos" in the 15th and 16th centuries were instrumental in the rise of the independent "vanitas" still-life at the beginning of the 17th century, however, a survey of the representation of the macabre is not enough to explain the wide popularity of the "vanitas" still-life. Many theories have been advanced to explain the origins and the sudden rise of the "vanitas" still-life. Some scholars have seen its source in the Counter-Reformation, others in 16th century symbolism and Calvinism, and still others in the then new conception of the importance of painting as an art form, a direct development of the Italian Renaissance. In fact, these theories are more complimentary than opposed. The "vanitas" exemplifies - more than any other narrative or allegorical theme - the paradox of earthly life as contemplated by the growing middle class: there was a concern that man should not be seduced by sensual experiences, but at the same time theologians had begun to celebrate the blessings of God's creation, the extraordinary riches and beauty of the natural world. The two strands of thought were conflicting yet interrelated. The purchaser of a "vanitas" still-life could enjoy the beauty of the work but simultaneously be reminded of its somber message.

- From Hans J. Van Miegrate, "Vanitas", Dictionary of Art, Macmillan, 1996, v.31, pp. 880-3.

SBMA CURATORIAL LABELS

The “vanitas” theme was a popular allegory about the brevity of life (symbolized by the beautiful flowers) and the “vanity,” or vain hope, that material possessions will make us happy. The young woman probably represents Mary Magdalene, who after meeting Christ renounced her former life of attachment to jewels and earthly pleasures.

The vanitas theme gave artists an opportunity to show their skill in depicting luxurious objects – here the velvet and gold brocade table cover, the silver incense burner in the foreground, and the gilded sculpture of Apollo and Cupid.

This latter depicts a real bronze sculpture made by a contemporary French artist working in Rome, which is a clue that the artist who made it was probably Roman. But it is possible that it was made by two different artists, one specializing in figures and architecture, the other in still life, as the flowers and luxury objects are painted in a different, more detailed style than the figure.

- Botticelli, Titian, and Beyond, 2015