Old Master Paintings

Collier Decoded: Anatomy of a Vanitas

By Christina Eberli

A Vanitas still-life is made up of objects each representing one of four key motifs: death, vices, secular knowledge and resurrection. Vanitas paintings are often brimming with symbolism as is this work by Edwaert Collier from our upcoming Old Master Paintings Day Sale. Click ahead to explore the meanings behind the objects in this remarkable piece from the oeuvre of one of the genre's classic painters.

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