Arts en de Dood 1524 - 1538

"Arts en de Dood" (Arts and Death), a woodcut created by Hans (II) Holbein between 1524 and 1538, depicts a stark reminder of mortality. The image shows a skeletal figure of Death entering a room and holding a burning candle towards a man working at a desk. Another man stands nearby, seemingly resigned to the inevitability of Death. This powerful image, now part of the Rijksmuseum collection, exemplifies Holbein's mastery of woodcut, a popular printmaking technique during the Renaissance period.