Trap des ouderdoms 1743 - 1758

"Trap des Ouderdoms" (The Staircase of Old Age) is a 1743-1758 engraving by Dutch artist Jan Nieuwenhuyzen. This hand-colored engraving features a complex allegory of the stages of life with figures ascending a staircase representing different ages and stages of life, ending in death. This work is a prime example of the moralizing and didactic genre popular in the 18th century. The detailed depiction of the figures, the architecture of the staircase, and the symbolic elements of the artwork, combined with the use of color, invite viewers to contemplate the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death.