A trompe l'oeil of a newspaper, letters, sealing wax, a quill, a magnifying glass, a knife and two combs

Edwaert Collier moved from the Netherlands to London in May 1693 - the year before this picture was painted - and remained there for the rest of his life. He became renowned for his trompe-l'oeil letter boards, featuring local newspapers such as the London Gazette, pamphlets, prints, and transcripts of speeches given at Parliament. The artist's signature often appears on letters, as in the present example.