De bewening van Christus in een schrijn met zes andere voorstellingen uit het leven van Christus 1507

This engraving, "The Lamentation of Christ in a Shrine with Six Scenes from the Life of Christ," was created by the artist known as the Master with the Skull. Visually, the artwork is structured around a central image encircled by smaller scenes, all encased within an elaborate architectural framework. Note how the artist has used a delicate, precise linework to define each scene, creating depth and emotion within a small space. The composition is dominated by circular motifs: the vignettes in the circle form a narrative structure, and each episode is presented like a bead in a rosary. But the linear and geometric nature of the gothic shrine unsettles the symmetry. This is because of the intersection of sacred events of the life of Christ with a gothic sensibility that questions a world marked by death and decay. The skull at the bottom of the image serves not just as a memento mori, but also acts as a point of contemplation of the deeper structures underlying human existence.