Detail from The Old Violin by William Harnett
William Michael Harnett, The Old Violin (detail), 1886, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Mellon Scaife in honor of Paul Mellon 1993.15.1

The battered door, aging violin, and worn sheet music were metaphors for life's vicissitudes and the toll they take on us all.

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