In het stervensuur baat geen rijkdom 1550

Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert made this engraving called 'In het stervensuur baat geen rijkdom’ or ‘Wealth is of no avail in the hour of death’ in the Netherlands in the late 16th century. The image shows a muscular man standing on a pile of coins, being confronted by the figure of death. In between them stands Fortune with her wheel. The print is an allegory, a symbolic representation of abstract ideas. It reflects on the transience of worldly possessions and the inevitability of death. The work can be understood in the context of the religious and social changes happening at the time. The Protestant Reformation was questioning the power and wealth of the Catholic Church, leading to new ideas about morality, and what it meant to live a good life. Prints like this one were a common way to spread these messages. The historian can use prints like this to understand the cultural values and beliefs of the time, consulting a range of sources, from religious texts to social commentaries, to fully understand the image's significance.