Dodenstraf 1650

"Dodenstraf" (Death Penalty) is a 1650 engraving by Conrad Meyer (1618-1689), now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The print depicts a skeletal figure of Death, holding an hourglass, seated upon a barrel with a scythe at his feet. A group of clergy, likely representing the church, are led by a skeletal figure towards Death's presence. The inscription "Crewer Hirt freigt graden, lohre; Boesbolft tragt straf davon" ("The crooked shepherd asks for degrees, reward; the wicked man receives punishment"), likely reflects a critique of the church's perceived hypocrisy. This work illustrates the societal anxieties surrounding death and mortality prevalent in 17th-century Europe.