ALLEGORIES AND SYMBOLS IN XVII CENTURY FLEMISH STILL LIVES INCLUDED IN RELIGIOUS SCENES. TWO PAINTINGS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE STATE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGION
Flemish and Dutch artists are widely known for their still lives around the world. Dutch painters used still life as an element that complements and adorns the biblical scene. They created works of a non-religious nature. Flemish masters of still life painted their works to decorate houses, churches and monasteries. Artists of this epoch used a certain system of signs and symbols to denote conventional concepts. This article deals with two paintings from the state Museum of the History of Religion, being an attempt to bring the reader closer to understanding the symbolic language of the XVII century masters of still life.