Children blowing bubbles

Originally thought to be French, 570-1882 has subsequently been reattributed to the Italian School based on its poplar support -a wood most commonly used on the peninsula while oak was used in the North. The subject derives from the Dutch 17th century Genre and Vanitas traditions such as Caspar Netscher's Two Boys Blowing Bubbles ca. 1670 (London, National Gallery). Children blowing bubbles are often a symbol of the transience of human life according to the ancient motto 'homo bulla' (man is a bubble). The motto was reintroduced in the sixteenth century by the Dutch philosopher Erasmus in his “Adagia”, a collection of sayings published in 1572. As bubbles are are fragile and have a brief moment of beauty before they burst, artists painted children blowing bubbles to convey the brevity of human life, the transience of beauty and the inevitability of death, sometimes making the sentiment more explicit through the inclusion of skulls or a snuffed out candle.