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

This engraving, titled "Vanitas met bellen blazend kind, schedel en zandloper", was created by George Kockers. It's a poignant example of the 17th-century Dutch vanitas tradition, a genre deeply shaped by the ever-present realities of death and the fleeting nature of life. The image places childhood, symbolized by the bubble-blowing child, in stark contrast with the skull and hourglass, traditional symbols for death and the passage of time. The vanitas theme gained prominence amidst high child mortality rates and devastating plague outbreaks, thus it served as a stark reminder of human vulnerability. The inscription reads "Consider, humans, that life is like the wind." This emphasizes the transience of earthly existence. Kockers invites us to meditate on our mortality. It’s a call to cherish the present moment, even as we acknowledge the inescapable reality of death.