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The image shows a young man from the waist up, seated at a small round table. He faces the camera directly, has short dark hair, a full beard and mustache, and wears a checkered suit jacket over a waistcoat with a white shirt. He is holding a human skull in his right hand, which rests on the table covered in a patterned cloth. His left hand is placed on the skull. The background appears blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting with foliage.
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The image shows a young man from the waist up, seated at a small round table. He faces the camera directly, has short dark hair, a full beard and mustache, and wears a checkered suit jacket over a waistcoat with a white shirt. He is holding a human skull in his right hand, which rests on the table covered in a patterned cloth. His left hand is placed on the skull. The background appears blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting with foliage.

National Gallery of Art · Photograph

A Vanitas

Jean-Baptiste Frénet

Date
c. 1856
Medium
salted paper print
Dimensions
overall: 24.1 x 20.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Accession number
2001.111.4
Credit line
Eugene L. and Marie-Louise Garbáty Fund
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CPH
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • male
  • portrait
  • salted paper print
  • symbol
Provenance

Charles Isaacs Photographs, Malvern, PA; NGA purchase, 2001.

NGA object ID 120782. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.