Rijke man en de Dood 1670 - 1724

Jacob Gole's etching "Rijke man en de Dood" (c.1670-1724) is a powerful reminder of mortality. The artwork depicts a wealthy man, adorned with finery, confronted by Death, personified as a skeletal figure playing a violin. Death's presence, marked by an hourglass, emphasizes the fleeting nature of life, contrasted with the man's wealth and the inscription below: “Young, we would live, and old, not die. But when Death calls, it’s time to depart.” This Dutch etching exemplifies the vanitas genre, a prevalent theme in 17th-century art that served as a moral reminder of the inevitability of death.