Twee figuren bij een doodskist op een draagbaar 1682

"Twee figuren bij een doodskist op een draagbaar" (1682) by Arnold Houbraken is an etching from his book "Schoole" that illustrates the vanity of human appearance. Houbraken, a Dutch Golden Age artist known for his portraits and history paintings, used a simple yet striking scene depicting two figures standing near a coffin carried on a stretcher. The scene highlights the contrast between the beauty of the world and the inevitability of death, suggesting a moral reflection on human life. The work’s small size (71 x 83 x 157 x 95 mm) further emphasizes the fragility of life and the insignificance of earthly possessions in the face of mortality.