The Rafael Valls Sale
The Rafael Valls Sale
MONOGRAMMIST F. D. | A vanitas still life with a skull resting on letters, and an hourglass, an onion and an apple on a stone ledge
Lot Closed
April 8, 01:44 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
MONOGRAMMIST F. D.
French, active circa 1651
A VANITAS STILL LIFE WITH A SKULL RESTING ON LETTERS, AND AN HOURGLASS, AN ONION AND AN APPLE ON A STONE LEDGE
signed with monogram, dated and inscribed on the paper lower right: Pro Solo Pomo / FD / 1651 (FD in ligature)
oil on oak panel
unframed: 27.2 x 37.4 cm.; 10¾ x 14¾ in.
framed: 43 x 52.9 cm.; 16⅞ x 20⅞ in.
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Private collection, northern France;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Sotheby's, 21 June 2012, lot 27 (as Attributed to N. L. Peschier).
This vanitas still life is intended to remind the viewer of the transient nature of human life. Symbols alluding to this include the skull, the sand timer which has run out, the apple which has been bitten into and is beginning to decay, and the onion, with its void centre, which is symbolic of vain, earthly pursuits.