How can so-called vanitas symbols add fascinating layers of meaning to a painting, and do their messages still resonate today? These visual elements can function as reminders to the viewer of the brevity of life or of beauty. They might advise avoidance of worldly distractions and be recommendations for staying on a righteous path. While an eerily illuminated skull is an obvious warning of mortality, other symbols are less discernible. When we discover them, how might our reading of a painting change?

About the speaker: Jo Rhymer is Informal Learning Lead Producer at the Wallace Collection. She is also a freelance lecturer for the V&A; she is a Panel Tutor at the University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, and an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society. Her art history specialisms are 19th- and early 20th-century French art.

Take part at the museum: This course will take place in the Theatre, Lower Ground Floor. Participants taking part at the museum are encouraged to visit the galleries in their own time afterwards.

Watch online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum. Online ticketholders will be emailed a link to join 24 hours in advance. Ticketholders will also receive a link to view a recording of the talk, which will be available for two weeks only.