Vanitas Still-Life

Collier painted vanitas still-lifes in the Leiden tradition throughout his career for both the Dutch and English markets. It is probable that this work was executed during Collier’s time in England given the Anglicised version of his signature and the inclusion of the image of Sir Anthony van Dyck, the pre-eminent court painter in early seventeenth-century England.

The present vanitas still-life is depicted with a globe, a violin and bow, lemon peel, a recorder, a musical score, an open book, an hour glass and other objects, the elements usually present in other still-lifes by the painter.