Vanitas Still Life, Peter Willebeeck
Peter Willebeeck
Vanitas Still Life
DE
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Peter Willebeeck

Vanitas Still Life, ca. 1650


Dimensions
88.8 x 73.7 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
1212
Acquisition
Acquired in 1892
Status
On display, 2nd upper level, Old Masters, room 8

Texts

About the Work

The skull and pistol give this still life by Peter Willebeeck a meaning that can be understood instantly, even by the modern-day viewer. They make it possible to identify a similar meaning in several other objects, for instance the clock that can show the passing of time but cannot hold it back, or the sound of the lute that ineluctably fades away. More subtly – though with equal clarity in the context of the objects already mentioned – the notion of transience is also conveyed by the fragile glass, the overturned goblet and the wilting flower.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Vanitas Still Life
Painter
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1892

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 11R6 'Vanitas' still life
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
August Quirin Schmetz, Aachen
Verst. durch Auktionshaus Bangel, Frankfurt am Main, als "Willem Klaasz. Heda" an das Städelsche Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 7. März 1892 (Nr. 45).

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

The successive ownership records are separated from each other by a semicolon.

Gaps in the record of a provenance are indicated by the placeholder “…”. Unsupported information is listed in square brackets.

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Last update

13.03.2024