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A Dead Soldier

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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A young soldier lies dead in a barren landscape, the sky growing dark around him. A deathly pallor tinges his face and his left hand rests on the hilt of his sword, as if to protect it. His bony, oversized right hand, the colour of decaying flesh, lies prominently on his chest. The man’s armour glints in the fading light, and a silk bow hangs limply from his shoe.

A swirl of blue smoke overhead does little to relieve the sense of melancholy. A lamp hangs from a leafless branch; a breeze has set it swinging and its flame has gone out. A skull and bones lie to the left, while close to the corpse bubbles disturb the surface of a small water pool. These bubbles will soon burst, leaving no trace, and, together with the extinguished flame, they are to be considered vanitas symbols, alluding to the brevity of human life and the suddenness of death.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

A Dead Soldier

Date

17th C

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 104.8 x W 167 cm

Accession number

NG741

Acquisition method

Bought, 1865

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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