Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileDeath of the Foolish Accuser
Dood van de dwaze aanklager Misbruik in procesvorming (serietitel) Litis Abusus (serietitel)
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
A muscular man lies deceased on a bed of straw while two figures prepare to shovel him into a flaming pit. In the center, Bad Conscience (Conscientia mala) stands over the grave, while on the right, the ragged figure of Poverty (Pauperies) assists in the burial. A small, bat-winged demon hovers above the corpse within the dark, cavernous setting.
Part of the 'Litis Abusus' (Abuse of Litigation) series, this work reflects the moral philosophy of the Haarlem circle, particularly the influence of Dirk Volckertsz Coornhert. It serves as a Stoic warning against the spiritual and material ruin caused by greed and legal strife, portraying the internal torment of the soul as a physical burial by one's own vices.