The tradition of vanity pictures or emblems goes back to Ecclesiastes: "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." And so forth.
This life is temporary and ends in death and decay. Remember that you too shall die, and repent so as to have life everlasting. These pictures often contain a skull to drive the point home. Also dying flowers, dead game animals, a bowl of fruit going bad. . . musical instruments. Stringed musical instruments. Musical instruments with a thick coating of dust on them. Where are their players? They have left the room, perhaps forever. I imagine the vanity meme has its roots in the Dance of Death tradition that arose from the great plagues of the 14th century. Death is shown calling everyone to dance his dance. None can resist, be they emperor, pope, king, queen, burgher, housewife, cobbler, musician, beggar. Music exemplifies the vanity of worldy life and worldly pleasures because music is a temporal and evanescent art. It lasts a brief time, then ends, unlike painting or sculpture. What instrument should represent the temporary nature of music? Some instruments are bowed or blown and the sound is continuous as long as the musician provides the effort. But a plucked string begins to die away immediately and is particularly apt to represent the temporary character of music and this life. A broken string? At any moment, in the middle of your performance, Death may tap you on the shoulder and interrupt your music . . . . I believe I have seen the harp in this role, but it is more commonly associated with King David and the psalms. The lute was a more common instrument and so more apt to represent something that applies to everyone. The existence of this tradition has nothing to do with people playing the lute, composing for lute, enjoying lute music, or eating pheasant and fruit. Caroline ********************************* Caroline Usher DCMB Administrative Coordinator 613-8155 Box 91000
