The Lady and Death 1541

Sebald Beham's 1541 engraving "The Lady and Death" depicts a woman in a long gown confronting Death, who holds an hourglass and approaches her with a friendly but cautionary gesture. The scene, filled with symbolic imagery, is set in a garden and speaks to the universality of death, a theme that resonates with viewers across the centuries. The engraving was made for a large series, and the inscription on the top reads "Omnem in homine venustatem mors abole," which translates to "Death destroys all beauty in man." This piece is a powerful testament to the artist's ability to portray the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.