Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario

Pieter Claesz (signed by artist), 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).

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-3930
  • Dimensionssupport: height 70.5 cm x width 80.5 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on panel

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-3930

  • Description

    Vanitas stilleven. Op een tafel staan een gipsen beeld van de Doornuittrekker of Spinario, schedel met botten, roemer, horloge, boeken en paperassen, een gedoofde olielamp en een schilderspalet met penselen. Op de vloer muziekinstrumenten: luit, viool en een soort fluit. Links een harnas en een helm en een openstaande kunstboek met een tekening van een naakte vrouw.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    signature and date, in ligated monogram, lower left, on a book: ‘PC 1628’

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Pieter Claesz (signed by artist)

  • Dating

    1628

  • Search further with

Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on panel

  • Dimensions

    support: height 70.5 cm x width 80.5 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1958

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; the dealer A. Nijstad, Lochem/The Hague, 1956-57;{Note RKD.}…; the dealer A. Brod, London, 1957;{Dealer cat. Brod 1957, unpag., no. 3.}…; from whom, £ 1,050, to the museum, 1958

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

Persistent URL

Questions?

Do you spot a mistake? Or do you have information about the object? Let us know!