Death and the Miser, from The Dance of Death 1523

"Death and the Miser", a woodcut from Hans Holbein the Younger's "Dance of Death" series, depicts a powerful scene of the inevitability of death. The miser, horrified, recoils as Death, skeletal and cloaked, sits at a table overflowing with coins, illustrating the futility of material wealth in the face of mortality. Holbein's mastery of detail and expressive linework are evident in the miser's terrified expression and the stark contrast between Death's skeletal form and the miser's fleshy one. The woodcut, created in 1523, reflects the anxieties of the Reformation era and the growing awareness of death's omnipresence.