Allegory of Vanity (Death Surprising a Woman)

About this work

This engraving shows a woman standing in front of a mirror, dressed only in a loose cloth tied around her waist. Behind her, a skeleton leans in from the left, holding an hourglass. On the floor to her right is a broken mirror, feathers, and a small open book. The scene is black and white, with sharp lines showing every fold of cloth and muscle. The artist used tiny parallel lines to build up shadows and texture—this is called cross-hatching. The Latin words at the bottom mean *"Mortal things perish."* Check out technique: engraving, cross-hatching to see how this effect works.