The King and Death (from Les Simulachres & Historiees Faces de la Mort)

A woodcut print depicts a king seated at a table draped with a cloth, with a backdrop decorated with fleur-de-lis. A skeleton in profile stands to the right, leaning over the table to present a dish to the king, while an hourglass sits on the table as a reminder of fleeting time. To the left, a standing servant holds a plate, looking toward the king. The scene is framed by architectural elements suggestive of an interior chamber or palace.

This image belongs to the 'Danse Macabre' tradition, a late medieval and Renaissance allegorical concept emphasizing the universality of death regardless of worldly status. It is a canonical plate from Hans Holbein the Younger’s 'Les Simulachres & Historiees Faces de la Mort' (1538), which transformed the macabre tradition into a refined humanist aesthetic.