1592ca. Poverty is Easier to Bear Than Luxury - etching - 24.1 x 17.1 cm - Washington DC, NGA

In this dramatic engraving, a man easily bears the weight of a thin, skeletal figure as he steps away from a heavily-set woman slumped in the foreground. The scene highlights the contrast between the light burden of a simple life and the oppressive weight of material excess. The background features classical stone architecture and a tower, rendered with the precise, rhythmic line work characteristic of late 16th-century Dutch printmaking.

This work reflects the Stoic-humanist philosophy of Dirck Volckertszoon Coornhert, who was Goltzius’s mentor. It visualizes the ethical idea that material wealth is a spiritual burden that prevents the pursuit of virtue, while 'Poverty' (simplicity) allows for freedom of movement and thought.