<P> Harmen Steenwijck or Harmen Steenwyck (c. 1612--after 1656) was a Dutch Golden Age painter of still lifes, notably of fruit . </P> <P> Steenwyck was born in Delft, his birth year is a rough estimate based on the appearance his first painting in 1633 . He was the brother of Pieter Steenwijck, also a still - life painter, whose father Evert sent them to learn painting from their uncle David Bailly in Leiden . </P> <P> Harmen became active as a painter in Leiden between 1628 and 1633 . He moved back to Delft from 1633 to 1656 . In 1654 - 1655 he made a trip to the Dutch East Indies . He died in Leiden . Steenwijck is best known for his visual sermon in the painting An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life at the National Gallery, London . </P>

An allegory of the vanities of human life