Vanitas met bellen blazend kind, schedel en zandloper 1780 - 1810

"Vanitas met bellen blazend kind, schedel en zandloper" is a small etching by George Kockers, dating back to the late 18th or early 19th century. This artwork is currently held in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The etching depicts a child blowing bubbles in front of a skull, an hourglass, and a pedestal with a draped cloth. The inscription around the image, "Te sterven Menschen kindt.'t leven is gelyk als Wind, Ged", translates to "To die, human child, life is like wind, thought." This artwork is a classic example of Vanitas, a genre that flourished in the Dutch Golden Age and beyond. Vanitas artwork utilizes symbols of mortality, such as skulls, hourglasses, and fading flowers, to remind viewers of the ephemeral nature of life and the inevitability of death. Kockers' etching captures this concept in a small, intimate format, allowing viewers to contemplate the passage of time and the fleeting nature of human existence.