Vanitas Allegory, mid-17th century. A woman at her dressing table flinches at a skeleton holding up a mirror to her - a reminder of mortality. By contrast, the ostentatious still life of precious silverware, jewels, pieces of armour, and musical instruments alludes to worldly wealth. The vaulted chamber with its chiaroscuro lighting, the richness of detail and precise brush technique are typical of artists in the orbit of the young Rembrandt.