Sad Old Age 1596

Curator: This is Crispijn de Passe the Elder’s “Sad Old Age,” an engraving on a plate measuring about 7 by 9 inches. Editor: It looks so heavy, doesn’t it? A man slumped in his chair, clearly burdened… and Death itself looms right behind him! Curator: The composition certainly emphasizes mortality. Note the presence of symbolic objects: the hourglass, the owl, and of course, Father Time with his scythe. Editor: And behind them all, a scene of figures walking into the unknown... it makes you think about the journey we all take, and how it inevitably ends. Curator: De Passe uses linear precision to articulate the allegorical figures and the inevitability of time's passage. It’s a bleak commentary. Editor: Bleak but honest, perhaps. It makes you consider your own life, doesn’t it? What will you leave behind? Curator: Indeed. It compels a contemplation of life's ephemerality. Editor: A potent image. I appreciate the stark simplicity.