The Three Phases of Life and Death

about 1509/10, Artist: Hans Baldung, gen. Grien

 

 

The Three Phases of Life and Death

Above the head of the young woman lost in the contemplation of her image in the mirror, Death holds the threat of an hourglass that has run out. The elderly woman on the left can barely keep Death at bay. The latter is also reaching for the veil of Youth, behind which a boy is hiding on the other side. He sees the course of life and its inevitable end only vaguely for now.

Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Kabinett 16

Object data

Object Name

Painting

Culture

German

Dated

about 1509/10

Artist

Hans Baldung, gen. Grien (1484/85 Schwäbisch Gmünd - 1545 Straßburg) - GND

Material

Limewood

Dimensions

Overall: 48,2 cm × 32,8 cm × 2,4 cm
Framed: 61,3 cm × 46 cm × 4,5 cm

Image rights

Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Gemäldegalerie

Inv. No.

Gemäldegalerie, 2636

Provenance

Collection Archbishop Guidobald Graf Thun, Salzburg; 1803 prince archbishop's residence, Salzburg; 1806 in the gallery

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