Oh No - not yet another Still Life...

Still Life With Port and Walnuts.

Bit of an oldie - was done as a Pre Christmas shot a few ears ago - a glass of Port, a handful of Walnuts and a few Chestnuts to fortify us through the long nights.

Even managed to get Bert back from his summer tour of wherever bluebottles spend their vacation for a guest appearance.

All the usual symbolism applies

The skull, a reminder of the certainty of death;
Over Ripe Fruit, which symbolizes the decay of ageing, and the ephemeral nature of life...
Smoke, and the almost burned out Candle which symbolize the brevity of life;
The Almost completed hourglass again symbolises the shortness of time;
The Dice are an obvious reference to gambling - a form of excess;
The pipe is a symbol of vanity and excess, as is the ornate Rummer, decorative Port Jug, and indeed the Drink itself;
The Bible rests on the book of Job: 14.1 - "Man that is born of Woman is of few days, and is full of trouble";
The Eyeglasses are an indication of ageing and decline;
The Walnuts - St Augustine saw the walnut as a symbol of Christ, with the shell as the wood of the cross and the kernel as the life-giving nature of Christ.
Once Again, the Dice have also been used to give a personal note to the picture - the 14th being my birthday... as to the significance of the upward facing numbers, you'll have to work that one out yourselves

I'm actually quite pleased with this one, finally, I managed to get the window-lights showing correctly in reflections.