Still Life with Books

Because of its unusual subject matter and the impressive quality of the execution, the Berlin painting "Still Life with Books" is considered to be an outstanding example of what was then a still young genre in Spanish art history. Three books of different sizes bound in parchment, a folded paper, an hourglass, and an ink pot with a quill are arranged on a light red cloth before a black background. Until that time, objects such as these had been considered worthy of being painted only as the attributes of saints or in portraits. They are arranged seemingly at random and illuminated by a powerful beam of light from the left, casting hard fall shadows on the cloth. The worn quill with torn vanes, the dog-eared corners of the book’s pages, and the tattered covers suggest that the objects have seen frequent use. Along with the hourglass, which can be seen in the half-shadow behind the open book and which appears to have been turned over just a moment ago, they testify to the presence of a person who cannot be seen in the picture. Although the open pages of the book lying on the large folio volume are visible, it is impossible to decipher the letters written in brown ink, and the content of the other books too remains hidden from the viewer. Apparently the painter’s intention was not to portray clearly identifiable works, with for example religious or literary content, but instead to depict everyday objects as realistically as possible. Although the pages of the large folio volume are painted with long, rough brushstrokes, the impression is created that each page could be touched and turned over, and even the weight of the books and the stiffness of the bindings are almost tangible. The fact that the painter manages to achieve this effect with a palette of nothing but white, black, brown, and red testifies to his astounding artistic talent. What is more, he refrains from employing the kind of illusionist tricks often used in pictures like this to make certain objects appear to project out of the painting. Only the red cloth displays three subtle creases on the front edge, which simultaneously marks the surface of the picture.
The identity of the painter who succeeded in rendering such simple objects in such a virtuoso manner remains a mystery to this day. Even though the painting has on several occasions been attributed to Italian masters, the majority of experts assume the work was painted by an artist working in Madrid. For one thing, the subject reminds us of the "Vanitas" pictures painted in Spain, and for another, the first record we have of the painting is in the possession of the family of the British envoy to Spain, John Hookham Frere. Alongside Antonio de Pereda and Francisco Collantes, both known during their lifetimes for their mastery in this genre (Cat.No. 1979), reference has also been made to a privately owned still life of books, which on the evidence of the monogram “Alo GV” is considered to be the work of Alonso Gutiérrez. There has also been some speculation that it may have been created by Diego Velázquez or Alonso Cano.
The question of the painting’s intended recipient and location too remains unresolved. The books as reservoirs of human knowledge and the hourglass showing the passing of time are symbols that often appear in "Vanitas" pictures. They illustrate the transitory nature of all worldly things and highlight the temporary, evanescent nature of human activity. Peter Cherry therefore suspects that the painting may have been created for a private collector in whose everyday life such objects played a significant role. Unquestionably, the painterly virtuosity and multiple associations of the small-format picture, which art historians assume was intended to be viewed at close quarters, are intended to arouse admiration and prompt profound interpretations.| Sven Jakstat