Skelet van een muis 1625 - 1626

This engraving, made by Andries Stock, presents a skeleton of a mouse, an evocative symbol of mortality and the ephemeral nature of life. The very depiction of skeletal remains taps into deep-seated cultural anxieties about death. Consider the "memento mori" tradition prevalent in art for centuries. The image of a skull reminds us of our inevitable end. Here, the mouse skeleton, though small, evokes a similar sentiment. In contrast to the vanitas paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, where skulls or decaying fruit signify the transience of life, Stock’s choice of a mouse skeleton adds another layer. Mice, often seen as pests, were symbolic of the fleeting, inconsequential aspects of existence. This image speaks to our subconscious recognition of mortality—a recognition that is both unsettling and profound. Just as the ancient Egyptians preserved their dead, we too are drawn to images of death, in the hope to comprehend it. The skeleton carries emotional weight, reminding us of the fragility that unites all living beings.