De non en de Dood 1651

Wenceslaus Hollar created this print, "Of Sin and Death," a meditation on morality, mortality, and faith. It's a work made during a time of immense social and political upheaval in Europe, marked by religious conflicts and the ever-present specter of disease. Within an ornate frame, Hollar depicts a scene of stark contrast: a young woman kneels in prayer before an altar as Death crowns her with his bony hand. Beside her, a man sits, seemingly oblivious to the macabre ritual. The print grapples with the ever-present tension between earthly pleasures and spiritual salvation, and the inescapable reality of death, regardless of status or piety. The Latin inscription serves as a warning: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death". Embedded in this image is the question of personal choice and the paths we choose to navigate our lives. Hollar invites us to confront our own mortality and to consider the values that guide our existence.