DOMENICO FETI
MELANCHOLY
1604
Domenico Feti was an Italian Baroque artist (1589 – 1624) , sponsored by the
Roman Catholic Church.
The Full length version of this
painting is hanging in the Louvre, in France.
Vanitas were a very Popular
art form in the 16th and 17th centuries. They stood to represent the passage of time
and how it should be used wisely while you are alive. Typically, there are skulls, representing death,
dried flowers and rotten fruit, representing decay and ageing and hourglass or watches representing the brevity of time.
Musical instruments stand for the ephemeral value of life. Books, jewelry
or other opulent items represent to the public the futility of nature..
It is said that later, Vanitas became a tribute to the dead. These still lifes often included
items the deceased would have owned, enjoyed or worked on. In other words, their Vanity.
