Allegorie op de ijdelheid 1618 - 1655

"Allegorie op de ijdelheid" (Allegory of Vanity), a 17th-century etching by Cornelis Schut, depicts a figure leaning against a crumbling column, holding a skull. The figure's gaze is fixed on an hourglass, symbolizing the fleeting nature of time and the inevitability of death. The broken column further emphasizes the theme of decay and the fragility of human vanity. Schut's work, characterized by its dramatic composition and expressive lines, speaks to the vanitas tradition of Dutch art, which reminds viewers of the ephemerality of life.