Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill exemplifies the Dutch vanitas tradition, where painters explored the fleeting nature of life and the certainty of death. Claesz’s work reflects a cultural moment in 17th-century Holland when commerce, scholarship, and domestic achievement flourished, yet were always tempered by reminders of mortality.

Pieter Claesz (1597–1660) was a leading still-life painter of the Dutch Golden Age, celebrated for his subtle tonal harmonies and meticulous rendering of objects. His vanitas compositions distill complex moral and philosophical ideas into intimate, contemplative scenes, inviting viewers to reflect on the passage of time and the limits of human ambition.

Product Details: Cotton and polyester canvas on Radiata pine wood frame sourced from renewable forests. Includes back mounting.

Due to variation in monitor settings, finished products may appear different than they do on your screen.

To offer a broad range of sizes, each image is carefully adapted to its canvas dimensions. As a result, slight variations in composition may occur, and some reproductions may differ subtly from the original work.

Our canvases feature mirrored edges to create a seamless wrap-around effect without altering the original image. This effect is more noticeable on smaller canvas sizes.