Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileAbuse of Inheritance Law
Misbruik van het erfrecht Misbruik in procesvoering (serietitel) Litis Abusus (serietitel)
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
A group of symbolic figures represents the corruption of legal inheritance. A wolf-headed man labeled 'Lis' (Litigation) holds the hand of a skeletal corpse labeled 'Testamentum' (Will), while they are led forward by a blindfolded child labeled 'Cupido caeca' (Blind Desire). Behind them follow figures representing personal greed ('Meum') and 'Opinio mala' (Bad Opinion).
This print is part of the 'Litis Abusus' series, reflecting the moralizing and Stoic philosophy prevalent in the circle of Hendrick Goltzius and his mentor Dirk Volckertszoon Coornhert. It critiques the destructive nature of avarice and the vanity of worldly disputes, aligning with the Haarlem Mannerist interest in ethical allegories and the 'memento mori' tradition.