Bloemen in een glazen vaas 1670 - 1713

This etching of flowers in a glass vase was created by Pieter Schenk around the turn of the 18th century. The vase overflows with blossoms, symbols of life’s transient beauty. The motif of the flower, so prevalent here, carries a profound weight across time and cultures. In ancient Greece, flowers adorned tombs, signifying remembrance and the cyclical nature of existence. Similarly, in medieval Christian art, lilies symbolized purity and the Virgin Mary. But notice how, in Schenk's arrangement, the flowers are not just symbols; they are rendered with such detail that we feel their fragility. This evokes a deep, perhaps subconscious, awareness of mortality. The wilting petals are a memento mori, a reminder of the ephemerality of life and beauty. These motifs are not linear, but cyclical, resurfacing across different epochs, each time imbued with new layers of meaning and emotional resonance.