Vanitas 1696

"Vanitas" by Hendrick van Beaumont (1696) is a drawing that uses a cherubic figure blowing bubbles to convey the fleeting nature of life. This is a common theme of the *vanitas* genre of artwork, which often depicts objects of beauty and decadence alongside reminders of mortality, such as skulls, hourglasses, and wilting flowers. The child, standing atop a skull and bone, is a stark reminder of the inevitability of death. This type of drawing was popular during the 17th and 18th centuries, and it served as a *memento mori*, or reminder of mortality.