“Vanitas Still Life with a Book, a Glass Roemer, a Skull, a Lute, a Pack of Cards, and Piece of Parchment” is a neoclassical artwork by Pieter Claesz, belonging to the still life genre. The artwork demonstrates Claesz’s virtuosic skill in rendering inanimate objects and his exploration of the Vanitas theme that reminds viewers of the transience of life.
The artwork meticulously depicts a scene composed of various objects. A prominent open book captures attention with the legible text “Memento Mori”, an emblematic phrase of the Vanitas theme. Accompanying the book is a glass roemer that rests on its side, and a carefully detailed skull that alludes to mortality. A lute laying in the background adds a sense of stillness, and the presence of a pack of cards introduces subtle dynamism to the composition. A piece of parchment gently lying near the book, along with the glinting brass of a nearby candleholder, add texture and interplay of light and shadow. Claesz’s painting invites contemplation on life’s impermanence through a judiciously composed array of symbolic objects.
