Plate Seven of Triumph of Death, Triumph of Divinity, Triumph of Poverty 1780

Curator: This is plate seven from Christian von Mechel's series, "Triumph of Death, Triumph of Divinity, Triumph of Poverty," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Well, right off the bat, I'm getting a very grim, yet darkly humorous vibe. It's like a macabre puppet show. Curator: Indeed. Von Mechel's work speaks volumes about power structures. Here we see death, personified, confronting various social classes. It reflects the anxieties of 18th-century Europe. Editor: I love how death is this skeletal figure, yet rendered with such delicate detail, as if he's a well-dressed gentleman making unwelcome calls. Curator: Exactly. The artist uses familiar imagery to explore the universal reach of mortality, commenting on social inequities and human folly. Editor: It makes you ponder, doesn't it? What battles are truly worth fighting when we all end up face-to-face with Mr. Bones? Curator: Precisely, these images are a stark reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly concerns. Editor: It is a potent reminder that despite our struggles, the great leveler awaits us all, and art like this helps us laugh, maybe a bit nervously, in the face of it.