Amor en de Dood, als geraamte met speer 1830 - 1845

Henricus Wilhelmus Couwenberg made this print, ‘Love and Death, as Skeletons with Spears,’ sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It depicts the common allegorical theme of ‘memento mori,’ or ‘remember you must die,’ in the figures of a skeleton, representing death, and a cherubic child, representing love. This was made in the Netherlands, at a time when the country was undergoing significant social and political changes, including the end of the Napoleonic era and the establishment of a new constitutional monarchy. It’s a period that saw increased awareness of social and political issues, and a growing sense of national identity. Couwenberg’s work, which can be found in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, reflects a cultural interest in the nature of human existence, of love and mortality, and the relationship between earthly and spiritual existence. To better understand works such as this, historians might consult archival records or religious tracts from the period. Through such research, we can learn about the complex cultural landscape of the Netherlands during this period.