Jan Davidsz. de Heem at Rijksmuseum
Jan Davidsz de Heem, Self Portrait, 1630-1650, oil on panel, h 24 cm × w 19 cm, signature: ‘J D Heem’. Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt, SK-A-2396 © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Still Life with Books, 1625 - 1630, oil on panel, h 26.5cm × w 41.5cm, signature: ‘J. de. heem’. Gift of the heirs of C. Hoogendijk, The Hague, SK-A-2565 © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Grey and brown tints dominate this composition, and a shadow spreads slowly over the wall. The painting alludes to the fleetingness of life. The battered books allude to transience. The music produced by the lute is momentary, a symbol of the brevity of life. A literal reference to death is inscribed on the sheet of paper draped over the table’s edge: ‘finis’ ([the] end).