J.K. Rowling Tweets Clue to Upcoming Work!

J.K. Rowling took to twitter again yesterday, teasing fans with a delightfully-cryptic reference. She suggested that a 17th Century painting closely describes her work at present.

The painting, Harmen Steenwyck’s 1640 piece “Still Life: An Allegory Of The Vanities Of Human Life,” features, among other things, a skull, book, sea shell, and what appears to be a flute-like musical instrument.

Here is Rowling’s original tweet and a retweet, which includes the painting with a description.

@jk_rowling For those who would like to know more about the painting: pic.twitter.com/ZlihMfW7Wd

— Ardit Haliti (@ardit_haliti) January 5, 2017

As you can read in the accompanying summation, the painting is considered a religious work known to caution against relying too heavily on wealth and pleasure for contentment and purpose in life, as they distract from the way to salvation.

This is definitely an interesting allusion on Rowling’s part, and fans may need a concentration in Divination to decipher her clues. Is she referring to the subject matter of a new book or merely to themes it explores?

As Leaky previously reported, we do know for certain that Rowling will soon release two new books! After another recent tweet, excitement spread through the fandom with the word that a Cormoran Strike novel, under the pen-name Robert Galbraith, and another in an unannounced genre are on the way.

This revelation closed out an incredible year in the fandom, which saw the success of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and renewed attention to its source material, the textbook of the same name written by “Newt Scamander” and popularized by mentions in the Harry Potter book series. The Fantastic Beasts screenplay was a hit, and Cursed Child, both the published script and the play, continues to do well as it tops best-selling lists and garners recognition for its stellar production. Pottermore continues to release new wizarding world wonders and backstory, and Rowling also rebooted her website.

Based on her continuing popularity as a charitable figure and writing genius, there’s no sign of waning anticipation as fans eagerly await every hint of her plans. There’s no doubt these new books will be met with equal measures of acclaim!

But, since we have to pass the time until the books are in our hands and all speculation is either confirmed or refuted, what do you think, fellow readers? What does this latest revelation mean? The Irish Examiner spies a sword in the painting, but we see neither a hilt nor a blade. What sort of sword is it? What do you see? Can you read the proverbial tea leaves?