How does Jan Davidsz de Heem's painting A Table of Desserts (1640) express the theme of vanitas?
O De Heem's sumptuous fruits and sweets ob silver platters and
velvet connote the ideas of exaggeration, artifice, and drama.
O The falling trays of food that is half-eaten and spoiled connotes
the idea that the material world is impermanent, only God is
eternal.
O It displays lavish wealth and abundance connoting the idea that
God rewards those who are worthy,

The falling trays of food that is half-eaten and spoiled connotes

the idea that the material world is impermanent, only God is

eternal.

Explanation:

The theme of vanitas refers to the Dutch 17th-century still-life paintings

that symbolize death and change as inevitable.

In this painting, there´s a depiction of the remains of a luxurious meal after a feast has come to an end.

The cherries considered a fruit of Paradise, the peaches and apples that represent the forbidden fruit, the grapes as a symbol of redemption, and the bread and wine as references to the Eucharist, show Christian connotations.

The half-eaten pie and the yellowed leaves of the plant are related to the inevitability of aging and death, while the lute and the recorder remind us of how ephemeral pleasure is, and the blue watch shows the passing of time as well as life.