Vanitas by Has Holbein

This Vanitas is by Has Holbein and is dated around 1543, which also happen to be the year he died. It is currently part of a private collection. I was intrigued by this particular vanitas because it was the first i had seen with an entire skeleton. Many of the ones we saw in class and that I found online simply contain the skull. I love this skeleton because although it is nothing more than bones, it had a real sense of personality to me. For example, instead of just being a pile of bones, Holbein has the skeleton standing, his feet are even crossed. Also, note the way he is reclining on the table as he reads and the way he rest his head on his hand. Although the skull is faceless, there still seems so be some sort of emotion there. You can see the sorrow in his nonexistent face. Even his posture gives the impression that he bearing some serious weight on his shoulders. It is as though he is entirely aware that his body and knowledge are nothing more than these temporary things which can be lost at any moment, and therefore are not to be valued as highly as was once believed they should be.