1710
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Death with Worldly Vanities is a 1710 ink by French 18th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
A skeleton stands in the center, holding a hourglass in one hand and a globe in the other. Around it, scattered objects include coins, a broken crown, a cracked hourglass, a sword, a book, and a music instrument. The background shows a church, a graveyard, and a distant landscape with a tall spire. This image is called *Death with Worldly Vanities*—it’s a warning about how empty worldly things like money and power really are. The artist packed in tiny details to show how death levels everything. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved intricate lines to create deep shadows.
This artist worked in late 18th-century France, making portrait paintings and etched prints.
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