Allegory of Vanity (Death Surprising a Woman)

16th century

Italian 16th Century

Associated Names
Italian 16th Century

Artist

The image depicts a nude person admiring their reflection in a large mirror. Their body is twisted as they reach up to touch their head, which is covered with a cloth. They have classical facial features with prominent eyebrows and a defined jawline. In the background, there is a skeletal figure holding an hourglass and a wheel, symbolizing the passage of time. Beside the person are a pair of wings, and in the corner, a column with a garland. The background shows an intricately detailed interior wall with a Latin phrase at the bottom and the artist's monogram in the lower right corner.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 35.9 x 25.2 cm (14 1/8 x 9 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1961.17.6

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Bartsch, no. 1

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1990

  • Eva/Ave: Woman in Renaissance and Baroque Prints, NGA, 1990, no. 134, repro.

2000

  • Fortune: "All is But Fortune", The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., 2000, no. 18.

2017

  • The Boundless Vanity of All: Ecclesiastes - Images and Ideas, Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC, 2017.

Bibliography

1802

  • Bartsch, Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna, 1802-1821: Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna: J.V. Degen, 1802-1821.

1990

  • Russell 1990, cat.no.134.

Wikidata ID

Q65218923

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