Contact us
 |
[email protected] |
 |
3275638434 |
 |
 |
| Paper Publishing WeChat |
Useful Links
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
The Symbolism of the Skull in Vanitas: Homo Bulla Est
Author(s)
Liana De Girolami Cheney
Full-Text PDF
XML 856 Views
DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2018.05.001
Affiliation(s)
Universidad de Coruña, La Coruña, Spain
ABSTRACT
In Dutch vanitas imagery of Homo bulla est there is a
sad child (homo) holding a scalloped
shell filled with soap and water. Although the child is amused and playing with
the formation of beautiful transparent water circles, his expression is
mischievous and melancholic. Blooming flowers and dead trees, burning urns, and
cloudy landscapes also accompany this gloomy imagery, which alludes to a
warning about moral behavior. The first part of this essay deals with a brief
history about the symbolism of the skull in vanitas imagery (1590-1630). And the second part of the essay focuses on two prints by
the Dutch artist and printmaker from Haarlem, Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617),
who honored this proverb Homo bulla est in Allegory of Transience as a
remembrance of the brevity of life.
KEYWORDS
moral symbolism, bubbles, emblems, putto, skull, scalloped shell, smoke, Dutch prints, Hendrick Goltzius, still-lifes, vanitas
Cite this paper
References