POT, Hendrick Gerritsz
(b. ca. 1580, Haarlem, d. 1657, Amsterdam)

Vanity

c. 1633
Oil on panel, 58 x 73 cm
Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem

A young woman surrounded by valuables holding a letter in her hand. Four-poster bed, dog, parrot and lute indicate love. The young woman cannot see the old woman behind her with skull and flower. They allude to the transience of earthly life.