Het sacrament van het laatste oliesel

This print by Giovanni Volpato captures the somber ritual of the last rites. Observe the central act: a priest anointing a dying person, a symbolic gesture of cleansing and preparation for the afterlife, rooted in ancient purification rituals. Consider the motif of the bedside vigil. In antiquity, such gatherings were common, yet they often served a dual purpose: mourning and, sometimes, hastening the departure of the ill. This echoes in the weeping figure, her face buried in her hands, embodying grief—a universal expression seen across cultures from ancient Roman sarcophagi to Renaissance paintings of the Deposition. The psychological weight of this image is palpable; death, a taboo yet inevitable aspect of life, evokes deep, subconscious fears and anxieties. Death rituals have always been about managing the transition from life to death, and how this print portrays it shows a continuation of how we grapple with mortality.