Juan De Valdes Leal Allegory of Vanity Wadsworth Atheneum Art Postcard

Leal's rich, dark colors set the mood for a painting about death and spiritual salvation. In a vanitas painting like this one, the artist uses objects to symbolize human mortality. Like the delicate bubble blown by the cherub, our lives could vanish at any moment. The skull, watch, and smoking candle each represent the passage of time. The pope's tiara and king's crown warn us that power on earth is worthless after death. The hint of a wing identifies the mysterious figure at the right as an Angel. He pulls back a curtain and points to a painting of the Last Judgment, the predicted day of God's judgment in Christianity. Against this religious backdrop, the trappings of the mortal realm become meaningless. A collector might hang a vanitas in his Art and Curiosity Cabinet as a reminder to remain humble in the face of material wealth. And the painting itself was a treasure to be collected.

Juan de Valdés Leal (4 May 1622 – 15 October 1690) was a Spanish painter and etcher of the Baroque era. Juan de Valdés Leal became known for somber, if not macabre, subjects painted in a dramatic style. Commissions throughout his life included altarpieces, retables, vanitas paintings, and frescoes. Valdés Leal's art reflects the intensely religious spirit of seventeenth-century Spain, which he inventively heightened by using exotic colors, dramatic light, and lively brushwork.

The Wadsworth Atheneum is located in Hartford Connecticut and was established in 1842. It first opened its doors to the public just two years later in 1844.The museum is commonly referred to as “The Wadsworth” and was named after its founder, Daniel Wadsworth (1771-1848). The original building of the museum resembles a castle and was constructed on the premises of the family in what is now downtown Hartford. Today, the museum houses an incredible collection of fine art that ranges from Baroque paintings to Impressionist masterpieces. The painting doesn't appear to be on view at the Wadsworth, and may have last been on view there in 2014.

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