... these contrasts produce a striking illustrative effect but they also help to define the objects from one another. The fine brushwork picks up the finest detail, such as the leaves of the well thumbed books, the dial on the watch and the fraying rope on the urn. Harmen has organised the majority of his objects to the right side of the piece leaving the left feeling rather vacant, with our attention drawn to the pearlescent shell that stands almost solitary. The painting depicts objects of grandeur, inducing the idea of wealth and travelling through such choice objects as the Japanese sword, Grecian style urn and the shell, those these are overshadowed by the objects with the most emotional quality, the skull and the waning lamp symbolising death and the frailty of life. The skull seems out of place sharing a table with such other splendid objects, leaving the spectator questioning the choices ...

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