Lot 1543 Dα

The still life painter Edwaert Collier resided in Leiden from 1667 to 1691, and was accepted by the Guild of Saint Luke in 1673. He probably resettled to London in 1673, before returning to Leiden in 1702. However, his eldest dated work is again inscribed “London”. Collier was most well-known for his opulent vanitas still lifes. This genre enjoyed the most popularity in the Protestant Netherlands and was intended to encourage the viewer to reflect on and contemplate the complexities of earthly life. The objects depicted allude to the various vanities of this world: The striving for power, wealth, fame, knowledge and pleasure are confronted with reminders of mortality and the unstoppable passage of time. The apparent disorder that seems to preside over the arrangements in these still lifes is deceptive: The various items and their placement in fore-, mid- and background are form a hierarchy of meaning, and each object hides a symbolism that the viewer is thus invited to ponder on.