15th - 18th century · Memento mori, time and salvation

Portrait memento mori, Vanity of Teniers, diptych of Memling and Hay Cart show the theme between Christian meditation, criticism of earthly goods and moral choice.

Religious vanity reminds us that wealth, beauty, knowledge and power are temporary. She does not necessarily condemn the material world: she asks how to use it in the face of death and salvation. The skull, the hourglass, the extinguished candle, the faded flowers and the silent instruments each indicate a form of passage. In Memling, the image of vanity can dialogue with a portrait or devotion on the reverse of a panel. The Hay Cart illustrates the universal struggle for an ephemeral good. In Memling, the image of vanity can dialogue with a portrait or devotion on the reverse of a panel. The Hay Cart illustrates the universal struggle for an ephemeral good. In Memling, the image of vanity can dialogue with a portrait or devotion on the reverse of a panel. The Hay Cart illustrates the universal struggle for an ephemeral good. In the 17th century, Protestant and Catholic still lifes multiplied books, wreaths, music and scientific objects. The meaning always depends on their combination, not on one isolated symbol. The "Religious Vanities" selection notably compares Portrait of a Man - Memento Mori and Vanity. His reading favors drawing.

Vanity does not only say "everything dies": it asks what is worth pursuing when time makes all possession provisional.