The Symbolism in Vanitas Paintings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69598/sbjfa261465Keywords:
Symbolism, Still life painting, Vanitas painting, Painting of Dutch golden ageAbstract
The qualitative research on the symbolism in Vanitas paintings aims to study the meaning of symbols in Vanitas paintings and classify them. The study is based on still life paintings that depict the concept of Vanitas by 17th-century Dutch painters and the analysis of supporting documents. It is found that Vanitas paintings often represent the temporary nature of earthly life and reflect concerns about the existence of life, happiness, enjoyment, fame, knowledge, wealth, and worldly power. At the same time, there are also symbolic images of Christ showing the way to salvation. These symbols are related to the Dutch economy, culture, and Protestantism, which is their religious belief, and they demonstrate a balance between secularism and religion. The works are remarkable because they are a semiotic reminder of the impermanence of things, in contrast to the enchanting representations of beautiful objects. The symbols in Vanitas paintings can be categorized into three groups based on their symbolic meanings: 1. Transient Life and Death, 2. Earthly Existence, and 3. Resurrection.
References
คณะกรรมการคาทอลิกเพื่อคริสตศาสนธรรม แผนกพระคัมภีร์. (2566ก). เพลงสดุดีที่ 102. http://www.thaicatholicbible.com/main/index.php/old-testament-menu/wisdom-menu/old-psalm/7562-old-psalm-102
______. (2566ข). โยบ บทที่ 14. http://www.thaicatholicbible.com/main/index.php/old-testament-menu/wisdom-menu/old-job-menu/6773-old-job-14
______. (2566ค). อิสยาห์ บทที่ 40. http://thaicatholicbible.com/main/index.php/old-testament-menu/prophet-menu/old-isaiah-menu/8582-old-isaiah-40
เฟอร์กูสัน, จอร์จ. (2549). เครื่องหมายและสัญลักษณ์ในคริสตศิลป์. (กุลวดี มกราภิรมย์ แปล; พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 5). อมรินทร์พริ้นติ้ง แอนด์ พับลิชชิ่ง.
ปวีณา สุธีรางกูร. (2565). จิตรกรรมหุ่นนิ่งในศิลปะคลาสสิก. วารสารศิลป์ พีระศรี, 10(1), 86. https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jfa/article/view/254564/172781
Britannica. (2021). Dutch West India Company. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dutch-West-India-Company
______. (2020). Vanitas. https://www.britannica.com/art/vanitas-art
______. (2022). Imitation of Christ. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imitation-of-Christ-devotional-book
Brooklyn Museum. (2022). Lucretia. https://www.Brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/lucretia
Brown, C. (1997). Dutch and Flemish Painting: 110 Illustration. Phaidon.
Bruyn de Oude, B. (1524). Portret van Margaretha von Mochau, echtgenote van Gerhard von Westerburg. [Tempera on panel]. Kröller-Müller Museum. https://krollermuller.nl/en/barthel-bruyn-de-oude-portrait-of-gertraude-von-leutz-wife-of-gerhard-von-westerburg
Catholic Commission for Christian Principles Desk for the Bible Ministries. (2023a). Psalms 102. http://www.thaicatholicbible.com/main/index.php/old-testament-menu/wisdom-menu/old-psalm/7562-old-psalm-102 [in Thai]
______. (2023b). Job-14. http://www.thaicatholicbible.com/main/index.php/old-testament-menu/wisdom-menu/old-job-menu/6773-old-job-14 [in Thai]
______. (2023c). Isaiah-40. http://thaicatholicbible.com/main/index.php/old-testament-menu/prophet-menu/old-isaiah-menu/8582-old-isaiah-40 [in Thai]
Chadwick, W. (2017). Woman, Art, and Society. (5th ed). Thames & Hudson.
Cleasz, P. (1628). Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario. [Painting]. Rijksmuseum. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-3930
Cranach the Elder, L. (1533). Lucretia. [Painting]. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lucretia.jpg
de Gheyn II, J. (1603). Vanitas Still Life. [Painting]. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436485
Edwards, R. (2015). Portraits as Objects within Seventeenth-Century Dutch Vanitas Still Life. Graduate school of Humanities, Faculty of Humanities Arts and Culture, Dutch Art, University of Amsterdam.
Ferguson, G. (2006). Signs and Symbols in Christian Art. (K. Makarapirom, trans.; 5th ed). Amarin Printing & Publishing. [in Thai]
Fiore, J. (2021). Art In Dutch Still Lifes, Dark Secrets Hide behind Exotic Delicacies. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-dutch-lifes-dark-secrets-hide-exotic-delicacies
Friedlander, M. J. (1965). Landscape, portrait, still-life: their origin and development. (2nd Ed.). Schocken Books.
Grimm, C. (1990). Still Life: The Flemish, Dutch and German Masters. Belser Verlag.
Grootenboer, H. (2005). The Rhetoric of Perspective: Realism and Illusionism in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Still-Life Painting. The University of Chicago.
Hodge, S. (2011). 50 art ideas you really need to know. Quercus Publishing.
Honour, H. & Fleming, J. (2005). A world history of art. (7th ed.). Laurence King.
Impelluso, L. (2022). Nature and Its Symbols. The J.Paul Getty Museum.
Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University. (2021). Vanitas https://museum.cornell.edu/collections/european/european-art-1600-1900/vanitas
Koozin, K. (1990). The Vanitas Still Lifes of Harmen Steenwyck: Metaphoric Realism. Edwin Mellen.
Liedtke, W. (2007). Dutch Painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
National Gallery of Art. (2007). Painting in the Dutch Golden Age: A Profile of the Seventeenth Century. National Gallery of Art.
North, M. (1997). Art and Commerce in the Dutch Golden Age. Yale.
Rijksmuseum (2022a). Vanitas Still Life with the Spinario, Pieter Claesz, https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-3930
______. (2022b). Still lifes. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/works-of-art/still-lifes
Sterling, C. (1959). Still life Painting: From Antiquity to the Present Time. translate by James Emmons. Editions Pierre Tisne.
Suteerangkul, P. (2022). Still life Painting in Classical Art. Silpa Bhirasri Journal of Fine Arts. 10(1), 86. https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jfa/article/view/254564/172781 [in Thai]
Tate. (2021). Still life. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/s/still-life
The British Library. (2021). Cabinet of curiosities. https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item107648.html
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2022a). Spinario, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/viewpoints/spinario
______. (2022b). Vanitas Still Life 1603. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436485
The Uffizi. (n.d.). Boy with Thorn (also known as Spinario). [Sculpture]. https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/lo-spinario-or-boy-with-thorn
van der Weyden, R. (1450). Braque Triptyph. [Altarpiece]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braque_Triptych
van Oosterwijck, M. (1668). Vanitas Still Life. [Painting]. https://www.khm.at/en/objectdb/detail/1370/?offset=0&lv=list
______. (2022). Vanitas with celestial globe. https://mariavanoosterwijck.nl/oeuvre/vanitasschilderijen/a1
Veca, A. (1981). Vanitas: The Symbolism of Time. Galleria Lorenzilli.
Westermann, M. (1996). A Worldly Art: The Dutch Republic 1585-1718. Harry N. Abrams.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 © by the Author(s) & Silpa Bhirasri Journal of Fine Arts.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Articles published in the Silpa Bhirasri Journal are copyrighted by the author(s) and journal. The public can republish under the terms of the Creative Commons License 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) and require attribution rights, non-commercial and non-modified.
The journal's editorial team does not have to agree with the views and comments in the author's article, nor are they responsible for the comments.
