Man wordt door de dood gehaald 1609 - 1659

This engraving, made by an anonymous artist, depicts a man being dragged away by death. The skeletal figure of Death, armed with a bow and arrow, is a potent symbol, reminding us of mortality's inescapable grip. The wealthy man, surrounded by bags of coins, desperately clings to a female figure, perhaps representing earthly love or material possessions. This tableau is a reoccurring theme in art history, the "Dance of Death," found in medieval morality plays, and later in the works of artists like Holbein. The arrow of death transcends cultures, appearing in various mythologies as a symbol of fate or divine retribution. Consider the enduring power of these symbols. Death as a skeleton, the arrow as an instrument of fate – they tap into our collective subconscious, resonating with primal fears and anxieties. Such images remind us of the transience of life and the futility of worldly possessions in the face of death. This emblem of mortality is not a linear progression but a cyclical one, resurfacing throughout history, each time colored by the anxieties and beliefs of a new era.