Fleeting Collection

A women walker looking towards Harter Fell in the Lake district above the cloud
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Fleeting, Wetland in fog at sunrise Duck Mountain Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada

Rhode Island, Newport, King Park, Rochambeau Statue and Memorial to French fleet

Allegory of Vanity, 1600 (oil on wood)
3959972 Allegory of Vanity, 1600 (oil on wood) by Isaacsz. Pieter Fransz. (1569-1625); 36.4 x 43.5 cm; Kunstmuseum, Basel

Magnificent Still Life with Holbein Bowl, Nautilus and glass cup and fruit bowl, 1678
3087209 Magnificent Still Life with Holbein Bowl, Nautilus and glass cup and fruit bowl, 1678 (oil on canvas) by Kalf, Willem (1619-93); 68x56 cm; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen

The Archer, c. 1930-42 (oil on canvas)
908516 The Archer, c.1930-42 (oil on canvas) by Nash, Paul (1889-1946); 71x91.5 cm; Southampton City Art Gallery, Hampshire, UK; Southampton City Art Gallery

The Triumph of Death, c. 1445-47 (fresco)
5642589 The Triumph of Death, c.1445-47 (fresco) by Italian School, (15th century); Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo, Sicily; Photo © Fine Art Images

Woman at a Mirror, c. 1652 (oil on panel)
3545884 Woman at a Mirror, c. 1652 (oil on panel) by Borch or Terborch, Gerard ter (1617-81); 34.5x26 cm; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Allegory of Fortune, c. 1530 (oil on canvas)
3545837 Allegory of Fortune, c.1530 (oil on canvas) by Dossi, Dosso (c.1479-1542); 179.1x217.2 cm; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Statue of the Roman god Mercury (silver albumen print)
833942 Statue of the Roman god Mercury (silver albumen print) by American Photographer, (19th century); 26x21 cm; Free Library of Philadelphia; eFree Library of Philadelphia; American

The Apparition (colour litho)
CHT174644 The Apparition (colour litho) by Millais, John Everett (1826-96) (after); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

Wanderer in the Storm, 1835 (oil on canvas)
3613970 Wanderer in the Storm, 1835 (oil on canvas) by Leypold, Karl Julius Von (1806-74); 42.5x56.5 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; German, out of copyright

Louis XIV mantel clock, c. 1715 (ormolu, bronze, tortoiseshell & ebony)
1209559 Louis XIV mantel clock, c.1715 (ormolu, bronze, tortoiseshell & ebony) by Boulle, Andre Charles (1642-1732); 80x51x25.5 cm; Private Collection; Photo eChristies Images; French

Still Life (Vanitas), c. 1637 (oil on panel)
996026 Still Life (Vanitas), c.1637 (oil on panel) by Andriessen, Hendrick (1607-55); 49.3x64.2 cm; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

Soap Bubbles, c. 1733-34 (oil on canvas)
3493061 Soap Bubbles, c.1733-34 (oil on canvas) by Chardin, Jean-Baptiste Simeon (1699-1779); 61x63.2 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; French, out of copyright

The Coat of Arms of Death, 1503, from reproduction in Albrecht Duerer Kupferstiche
LLM438689 The Coat of Arms of Death, 1503, from reproduction in Albrecht Duerer Kupferstiche, published 1920 (digitaly enhanced image) by Durer or Duerer

The Life of Man, c. 1665 (oil on canvas)
5863943 The Life of Man, c. 1665 (oil on canvas) by Steen, Jan Havicksz. (1625/26-79); 68.5x81.6 cm; Mauritshuis, The Hague

A globe, a casket of jewels and medallions, books, a hurdy-gurdy, a bagpipe, a lute
3474614 A globe, a casket of jewels and medallions, books, a hurdy-gurdy, a bagpipe, a lute, a violin, an upturned silver tazza and roemer, a nautilus shell, a recorder, a shawm

Vanitas still life, 1603 (oil on wood)
3899988 Vanitas still life, 1603 (oil on wood) by Gheyn, Jacques II de (1565-1629); 82.6x54 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; Dutch, out of copyright

Statue of the Roman god Mercury (silver albumen print)
833941 Statue of the Roman god Mercury (silver albumen print) by American Photographer, (19th century); 20x12 cm; Free Library of Philadelphia; eFree Library of Philadelphia; American

A Poor Substitute, or a Monkeys Mistake, a West Indian Story (litho)
1039434 A Poor Substitute, or a Monkeys Mistake, a West Indian Story (litho) by Ralston, William (1848-1911) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: A Poor Substitute, or a Monkeys Mistake)

Ice on the coastal beach outslide the lagoon at Jokulsarlon, Iceland.; Jokulsarlon, Vatnajokull icecap, Iceland

Jo, the Beautiful Irish Girl, 1866, by Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet (1819-1877). French painter. Jo, the Beautiful Irish Girl, 1866. National Museum. Stockholm. Sweden

Willem van Heythuysen (1585-1650), by Frans Hals (1580-1666)
Frans Hals (1580-1666). Dutch painter. Portrait of Willem van Heythuysen (1585-1650). 1625-1630. Alte Pinakothek. Munich. Germany

Shadow drawing. C. H. Bennett, Tempus Fugit
Tempus Fugit. The shadow of an hourglass cast on the wall - time is indeed fleeting. Illustration from a series of shadow portraits of fictional characters by Charles H Bennett entitled Shadow

A temperature inversion in Ambleside in the Lake District UK leading to valley mists
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Morning mist over the Kent Valley near Kendal Cumbria UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

on Red Screes above a temperature inversion in the Lake District UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

A temperature inversion in the Lake District UK leading to valley mists
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

A coal fire
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

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In the tranquil beauty of the Lake District, a woman gazes towards Harter Fell, her eyes filled with wonder and contemplation. Above her, clouds drift by in fleeting wisps, reminding us of the transient nature of life. As we delve into art's rich tapestry, we encounter an Allegory of Vanity from 1600. Painted on wood, it captures the essence of human transience. The artist reminds us that our pursuits and desires are but passing illusions in the grand scheme of things. Moving forward to 1678, a magnificent still life unfolds before our eyes. A Holbein bowl stands proudly alongside a nautilus shell and glass cup while fruits overflow from a bowl nearby. This opulent display serves as a reminder that even material abundance is ephemeral – here today and gone tomorrow. Gustave Courbet's "Jo, the Beautiful Irish Girl" transports us to 1866 when youth and beauty were celebrated through portraiture. Yet beneath Jo's captivating gaze lies an awareness that time will eventually erode her youthful allure. A Vanitas Still Life painting from centuries past presents an array of symbolic objects: a skull representing mortality; a crown symbolizing power; an hourglass signifying time slipping away relentlessly. These elements urge us to contemplate our own mortality amidst worldly possessions and achievements. "The Archer, " painted between 1930-42, captures movement frozen in time on canvas. It reminds us how swiftly moments pass by - like arrows shot into infinity - leaving only memories behind. "The Triumph of Death, " depicted in fresco form around 1445-47, portrays death as an inevitable conqueror over all living beings. Its haunting imagery serves as both memento mori (reminder of death) and reflection on life's evanescence. In "Woman at a Mirror" from approximately 1652, we witness introspection amidst fleeting beauty reflected back at its beholder.