Kok en de Dood 1650

This etching by Conrad Meyer, titled “Kok en de Dood,” depicts a chef in a kitchen being confronted by Death, represented by a skeletal figure. The chef, dressed in a traditional chef's outfit, stands on a tiled floor, his hands raised in a gesture of horror. Death, armed with a violin, has just snatched away the chef's food, perhaps representing the inevitability of death, even in the pursuit of earthly pleasures. This print, created in 1650, is a humorous take on the “Danse Macabre” theme, which explores the universality of death. The small size and detailed depiction of the scene are typical of Dutch engravings of this period.