Jan Jansz Treck - Vanitas Still Life, 1648, 91 x 78 cm. In this apparently quiet still life, each object contains a secret message about death and how quickly life goes by. The skull is an obvious symbol of death. The helmet is a reminder that armour cannot protect even the greatest warrior from death. The hour-glass measures how time passes. The pipe and the plug of tobacco suggest that life is like smoke, here for a while and then gone forever. The shell and straw, used for blowing soap bubbles, suggest that life is fragile like a bubble. The book of music and the instruments suggest that life is like a melody, heard for a while and then silent.