Death Carrying a Child 1610 - 1664

Stefano della Bella made this pen and wash drawing, Death Carrying a Child, in the mid-17th century. It depicts a skeletal figure of Death, rendered with delicate lines, carrying a child. Bella was an Italian printmaker, known for his detailed and often allegorical depictions of life and death. His work gives us insight into the anxieties of 17th-century Europe, a period marked by widespread disease, famine, and war. The image reflects the era's preoccupation with mortality and the fragility of life. The drawing likely comments on the high infant mortality rates prevalent at the time, a stark reality that deeply affected society. To understand the full impact of Bella’s work, one could research the social and demographic conditions of 17th-century Europe, paying particular attention to public health records and religious texts that deal with death and the afterlife. Art history is always connected to its wider social and institutional context.