Jan Davidsz. De Heem – Vase of Flowers with Vanitas Symbols

With Koen Fillet and Sven Van Dorst, head of restoration at The Phoebus Foundation studio.

The closer you look, the more you see. The fragile reflection of a window frame in the glass of the vase. The crystalline drops of water on the table. The soft glow of the smouldering wick. The garden spider among the mandarin leaves. Jan Davidsz. De Heem did not paint just any old bouquet. He presents us with the universe in a vase of flowers.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vWaruJVkumDSGXAeSERuE?si=JjJb3B9zR-iWBpgVAY8pbQ

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Vase of Flowers with Vanitas Symbols, c. 1667–1670. Elaborate floral still life featuring roses, tulips, and other blooms in a glass vase, combined with an opened oyster, an orange, ears of wheat, and smoking implements on a table, alluding to abundance and the transience of life. — Jan Davidsz. De Heem, *Vase of Flowers with Vanitas Symbols*, c.1667-1670

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