CANDID, Peter
(b. ca. 1548, Brugge, d. 1628, München)

Allegory of Vanity

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Oil on panel, 41 x 28 cm
Private collection

The painting represents a Janus-faced woman with a mirror around which winds a snake.

Candid was one of several Italian-trained Mannerist artists employed by the courts of Europe and was the leading figure in Munich from 1600 to 1628. His versatility led Sandrart to describe him as a 'universal painter'. For the Duke and Elector Maximilian, Candid frescoed numerous buildings in Munich, including the Residenz and Schleissheim Palace.