Lot Essay
Edwaert Collier was well known for both his trompe-l'oeil still lifes and his vanitas pieces. In the present work he combines musical instruments with books to contrast the ephemeral nature of life and pleasure (represented by the instruments and the music) with the eternal nature of art and wisdom, a point underscored by the inclusion of the Latin motto Vita brevis, ars longa (Life is short, but art endures).
The inclusion of John Ogilby's translation of Arnoldus Montanus' America, published in London in 1670, provides a terminus post quem for the date of this painting.
The inclusion of John Ogilby's translation of Arnoldus Montanus' America, published in London in 1670, provides a terminus post quem for the date of this painting.