Allegorie op vergankelijkheid en verlossing 1717

"Allegorie op vergankelijkheid en verlossing" (Allegory of Transience and Redemption), a 1717 etching by Dutch artist Bernard Picart, depicts a scene of religious allegory. The image features a central figure seated on a cloud, radiating light, with cherubs holding the Ten Commandments. Below are various figures and a skeletal figure, representing mortality. Picart's use of light and shadow creates a sense of both the divine and the earthly, while the detailed depiction of the figures and objects adds to the work's symbolic complexity. This etching, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, explores the theme of salvation and the fleeting nature of life through its intricate composition and symbolism.