The Nun (Dance of Death series)

A woodcut depicting an anthropomorphic skeleton with a grimacing face and tattered headgear clutching the arm of a nun. The nun is shown in profile, mouth open as if screaming, clutching a rosary in her hands while Death holds a globe or orb in his other hand. In the background, a second nun stands before an arched doorway, her arms raised in distress. An hourglass sits on the ground in the lower left corner, symbolizing the passage of time.

Part of Holbein's 'Dance of Death' (Les Simulachres & Historiees Faces de la Mort), this series serves as a memento mori, illustrating the universal reach of death across all social and religious strata during the Reformation period.