A Dead Soldier

Artist: Italian 17th Century Artist (Italian, not listed)

Original Dimensions: 41 1/4" x 65 3/4"

Location: National Gallery of Art, London

About Artwork: (17th century) "A young soldier lies dead in a barren landscape, the sky growing dark around him. A deathly pallor tinges his face and his left hand rests on the hilt of his sword, as if to protect it. His bony, oversized right hand, the colour of decaying flesh, lies prominently on his chest. The man’s armour glints in the fading light, and a silk bow hangs limply from his shoe. A swirl of blue smoke overhead does little to relieve the sense of melancholy. A lamp hangs from a leafless branch; a breeze has set it swinging and its flame has gone out. A skull and bones lie to the left, while close to the corpse bubbles disturb the surface of a small water pool. These bubbles will soon burst, leaving no trace, and, together with the extinguished flame, they are to be considered vanitas symbols, alluding to the brevity of human life and the suddenness of death." - (National Gallery of Art, London)