As the Old sang, so the Young pipe

At this feast, three generations of the artist's family served as models to illustrate a Flemish proverb, meaning: Children take after their parents. Among the many hidden meanings in this work is the parrot, symbolizing the futility of repeating without understanding, while its opposite, the owl, stands for wisdom, night, and death. The flowers, the snuffed-out candle, and the withered pages are further symbols of mortality. (http://cybermuse.gallery.ca )