Pieter Claesz - Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario [1628]

Pieter Claesz - Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario [1628], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Still-life painter Pieter Claesz (1597/98 – 1660) probably came from Berchem, near Antwerp. He moved to Haarlem at an early date, where he married in 1617 and later died. Pieter Claesz's son Nicolaes Bercham, also became a painter. In his early work, Pieter Claesz employed brilliant colours. Later, he adopted a more subdued palette, with colours of similar hues. His compositions acquired more elegance, broadness and nonchalance than previously. Nevertheless, the objects in his still lifes rarely overlap. For Pieter Claesz, the principal aim was to render the materials and catch the reflected light as accurately as possible. This was his speciality. 

This painting looks like a combination of several smaller still lifes. In the foreground, to the right, are a number of musical instruments. They are lying beside a piece of armour and various books. More books are shown on the table, along with a plaster statue, some bones, a skull and various artist's materials. From the skull and bones, it is clear that this painting is about transience, or Vanitas. The watch and the fading oil lamp refer to the passage of time, while the musical instruments symbolise the ephemeral nature of music. 

This still life is not just about Vanitas. Claesz also alludes to the different phases of an ideal painter's apprenticeship. The master's assistant started out doing odd jobs. He mixed paint and kept the studio tidy. After a while he was allowed to start drawing, copying prints and other work. In the foreground we see the necessary sample books, depicted alongside a pen and inkstand. The apprentice would proceed to sketching plaster casts of famous statues. This helped the student gain insight into the human form. A plaster cast of the famous Spinario is included in this composition. Once these phases had been completed, the apprentice could start working in colour, learning how to apply paint and progressing to the depiction of real people. 

[Oil on panel, 70.50 x 80.50 cm]