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Description: | This extraordinary painting was probably commissioned in the 1660s by Sir Robert Paston (1631-1683; later first Earl of Yarmouth) to celebrate the collection of curiosities begun by his father at Oxnead Hall in Norfolk. As well as specific items from Paston's collection (many of which can be identified today, see notes), the composition also includes a number of more conventional still-life elements - flowers, fruit, an hourglass and a clock - which give the painting an allegorical significance, referring to the passing of time and to the vanity of man's material life. The juxtaposition of natural objects, musical instruments, silverware and other man-made items exhibited the range of interests and breadth of knowledge assumed by the virtuoso collector. Several other equally impressive collections were accumulated during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but few have been commemorated in such a spectacular way. The inclusion of two figures, a black servant and a rather awkwardly posed young girl, give the work an additional social and historical importance; both occupy an ambiguous position, as if they themselves are included among the ‘curiosities' on display. Despite recent attributions to the Dutch artists Franciscus Gysbrechts and Peter Gerritz van Roestraten, the author of the work remains elusive, although like these two he was almost certainly a Dutch artist who had traveled to England. | Subjects: | still life; figure; interior; allegory (vanity) | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Dutch School Æ Attributed to Previously attributed to Gysbrechts, Franciscus (Dutch painter, active ca. 1674) Previously attributed to Roestraten, Pieter Gerritsz. van (Dutch painter, 1629 or 1630-1700, active in England) | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=8537... | Go to resource |
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