De trap des ouderdoms 1850 - 1870

"De trap des ouderdoms" (The Stairway of Old Age), a hand-colored engraving by Hermanus Numan, depicts a series of steps representing different stages of life. The steps are numbered from 10 to 100, symbolizing the progression of age. The figures on the steps represent people of different ages, from a young child to an elderly couple. This moralizing allegory, created between 1850 and 1870, likely served as a reminder of the fleeting nature of time and the importance of living a virtuous life. The work is now part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.