Choose one or two objects and research their symbolic meaning in Vanitas paintings.
I have chosen to research the Rotten Fruit and the Jewellery or Clothing.
Rotten fruit:
Rotten fruit have a meaning on Ageing and the passing of time. Mature fruits mean fertility and wealth, due to the abundance of being able to let fruit go rotten. Different fruits have different connotations, such as apples, tomatoes, grapes, peaches and pears meaning the fall of man, whereas apples and peaches, as well as figs and plums have erotic symbolism.
Jewellery or Clothing
Jewellery or Clothing have a meaning on the temporal nature of beauty, and the sin of narcissism. The symbolise the transience of the beauty of the body and the nature of wisdom in human life. Earthly riches are important in life, but soon mean little once life is over. They also tell of the traditions and cultures of life at the time of the painting, placing the work in a clear sense of history.
