#antoine van steenwinckel

[art-portraits]

Vanitas Portrait of the Painter

Artist: Antonie van Steenwinckel (Flemish, Unknown-1688)

Genre: Self Portrait

Date: 1678-1685

Collection: Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Belgium

Description

A mirror reflects what is probably the self-portrait of the painter Antonie van Steenwinckel. He is a distinguished man and is looking out at the viewer. His distinctive features are drooping eyelids, a wide, protruding nose and a neatly trimmed moustache and beard.

He is wearing a dark grey cloak and a high collar with white lace. On his blond locks he has a large hat with a high brim. An hourglass, two books and a skull are displayed on a wooden table with an open, empty drawer. The objects are reflected in the black-framed mirror that a young man is holding up by the sides. He, too, is looking at the viewer.

This painting combines a self-portrait with a vanitas scene, both of which allude to the brevity of life. Van Steenwinckel leaves no doubt about the relativity of his mirror image. He shows himself to be content and self-assured. But the hourglass, book and skull in the foreground remind us and the artist that the time, life and fame that people can enjoy on earth do not last forever.