Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario — Pieter Claesz

Pieter Claesz. Painted 1628.

Appearances can be deceptive – certainly in painting, which gives only an impression of reality. Here Claesz presents the study materials of an educated painter: books, drawings, armour, musical instruments and a plaster cast of the Spinario, a famous antique sculpture of a boy extracting a thorn from his foot. On the table are a paintbrush and a palette, along with bones and a skull. The message is clear: the world is mere illusion and transience (vanitas).

From the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

oil paint (paint), panel · Original size: 80.5 × 70.5 cm

Print: 80.5 × 70.5 cm, printed on Hahnemühle FineArt archival cotton paper. Museum-grade reproduction quality, true to the colours and detail of the original work.

Frame (optional): a custom-made wooden frame in a matte black finish, cut to the exact dimensions of this print, with an off-white passe-partout mat and protective glazing. Ready to hang.

Source: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200109184. Image released under CC0 by the Rijksmuseum.