Artwork
Vanitas Still Life
Vanitas Still Life is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Vanitas Still Life is a 17th-century oil painting by Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts, a Flemish artist known for his trompe-l'œil works.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a collection of objects on a dark shelf, including a skull wearing glasses, a broken violin, a lit candle, and a metal cup, symbolizing the transience of life.
Technique & Style
Gijsbrechts rendered the objects with meticulous realism, using chiaroscuro to create deep shadows and a sense of depth, exemplifying the Dutch Golden Age tradition.
History & Provenance
Gijsbrechts created the work around 1650 and later served as court painter to the Danish royal family, where his illusionistic style was recognized.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts
Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts (1625/1629 – after 1675), was a Flemish painter who was active in the Spanish Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden in the second half of the seventeenth century.
Trompe l'oeil with Violin, Music Book and Recorder
Trompe l'oeil. The reverse of a framed painting.
Vanitas still life with bouquet of flowers, painters palette, globe, violin and acorn cup
Trompe-l'œil. A Cabinet in the Artist's Studio
Trompe l'Oeil with Trumpet, Celestial Globe and Proclamation by Frederik III
Trompe l'Oeil with Falconer's Bag and other Equipment for Falconry
A Cabinet of Curiosities with an Ivory Tankard
Trompe l'Oeil. An Open Cabinet of Curiosities with a Hercules Group
