December måned 1645

Editor: Here we have Albert Haelwegh’s engraving, "December måned," from 1645, currently residing at the Statens Museum for Kunst. The imagery, particularly the skull and the old woman holding the candle, makes me think of a sort of "memento mori." What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: It whispers, doesn't it? A chilly breath from the past, right down your spine! It’s December, a month of fading light, mirrored in the face of age, the skull, the dying candle. And that owl lurking in the shadows? Haelwegh’s conjuring up the traditional Vanitas symbols of mortality – are you catching a whiff of existential dread mingled with the beauty of fleeting existence? Do you see that inscription? It reinforces that sentiment. Editor: Yes, the inscription seems very intentional. Why depict December as this… hag-like figure rather than, say, a more jovial, festive scene? Curator: Ah, there's a twist of bitter humor, don’t you think? December, the month of supposed joy, laid bare as the harbinger of winter's end. Haelwegh subverts the expectation, reminding us that even in celebration, the clock is always ticking, as symbolized by that small hourglass, almost easy to miss if you weren't looking. It is quite the juxtaposition. Editor: It definitely gives me a new perspective on those festive images that portray the month of December. Curator: Exactly! Art’s a cheeky wink, never letting us get too comfortable in our expectations. It keeps us beautifully unsettled!