Death and Card Players 1620 - 1674

Jan Lievens created "Death and Card Players", a print that reflects the moralizing spirit of 17th-century Northern Europe. During this time, the grim realities of the Thirty Years' War and the plague deeply affected the cultural psyche. The print depicts two men engrossed in a card game, oblivious to the skeletal figure of Death looming behind them. With its bony hands, Death presents a skull as a memento mori, a reminder of mortality. Lievens uses the card game, a popular pastime, to symbolize the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures and the inevitability of death. This imagery was particularly resonant in a society grappling with widespread death and disease. The composition, with its stark contrast between the lively card players and the macabre figure of Death, serves as a visual sermon. It prompts viewers to reflect on their own mortality and the choices they make in the face of life's uncertainties. Lievens urges us to consider what truly matters beyond earthly pursuits.