MIERIS, Frans van, the Elder
(b. 1635, Leiden, d. 1681, Leiden)

Boy Blowing Bubbles

1663
Oil on panel, 26 x 19 cm
Mauritshuis, The Hague

The motif of bubble blowing in Dutch art is traditionally associated with the Latin expression, "Homo Bulla" (Man is Like a Bubble). This refers to the ephemerality of human existence like: like a soap bubble which quickly bursts, life is fleeting.