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DiaporamaStill Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill
1628
24.0 x 36.0 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art
In this still life, close observation and realistic detail operate in tension with explicit symbolism. The toppled glass, gap-toothed skull, and guttering wick of an oil lamp all serve as stark symbols of life’s brevity. Working with a limited palette of grays and browns, Claesz carefully describes the surfaces of these unsettling objects. By arranging them on a pitted stone ledge, the artist connects the picture’s space to our own, making the message all the more compelling.
Pieter Claesz Soutman (1580 – 1657)
Pieter Claesz Soutman (1593-1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for realistic still lifes, portraits & group scenes. Influenced by Rubens & Hals, he served as court painter to Sigismund III Vasa. Explore his works today!
Metropolitan Museum of Art (new york, United States of America)
Explore The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 5,000 years of art from around the world! Discover masterpieces, ancient artifacts & immersive exhibitions – a global art destination awaits.
About this artwork
- Title: Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill
- Artist: Pieter Claesz Soutman
- Year: 1628
- Original dimensions: 24.0 x 36.0 cm
- Format: Landscape
- Copyright status: Public domain
- Where to see it: Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Main color: Phthalo Green
- Perceived brightness: deep_shadow
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