Gierigheid 1625 - 1675

"Gierigheid" (Greed) is an etching created by an anonymous artist between 1625 and 1675, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The artwork depicts an elderly woman meticulously counting a pile of coins by candlelight, her face etched with an expression of avarice. The scene is a stark visual representation of greed, a theme prevalent in Dutch Golden Age art, where moral lessons were often woven into depictions of everyday life. The composition, with its focus on the woman's hands and the coins, creates a sense of intimacy and invites the viewer to contemplate the nature of greed.