Plaat van grafzerk Gijsbert Willemsz. Raet before 1878

David van der Kellen created this print of the tomb plaque of Gijsbert Willemsz. Raet in the 19th century. Van der Kellen lived during a period of significant social and political change in the Netherlands, including a growing interest in national history and identity. The central figure of the plaque is an angel, a common symbol in funerary art, representing spiritual guidance and divine intervention. To the left, we see an hourglass, an emblem of the fleeting nature of life, while to the right, what seems to be a collection of religious texts. Death, and the passage of time. Consider the history of memorializing individuals, especially elites, and how that relates to constructing collective memory. What stories are told, and whose stories are left out? This print, while commemorating an individual, is a reminder of the broader narratives of life, death, and remembrance.