Still-life painting was developed in the seventeenth century and the so-called “vanitas” theme, with symbols such as skulls and burned-down candles, formed a special genre within it. These motifs were often combined with scientific instruments. In this painting you can see a crowned cranium and an extinguished candle along with a telescope, astronomical measuring instruments, and a celestial globe. The motif can be interpreted as a reminder of the fragility of life despite new discoveries and knowledge. Another interpretation would be that science endures while life perishes.