In the present painting, among the usual arrangement of journals, engravings, letters, combs, sealing wax sticks and other ephemera (signifying an updating of the older 'memento mori' still life model) is included a copy of Antonius Thysius's Sondaghsche uren, ofte Poëtische bedenckingen over eenighe historien uyt de H. Schriftuyr genomen. Gedrukt boek (which was published in Leiden in 1646 and translates as 'Sunday hours, or Poetic reflections on some histories taken from the Holy Scripture's printed book').

Dendrochronology has indicated that this panel was derived from a tree felled between 1639 and 1675. Therefore we believe the present letter rack was painted in Leiden before 1693.