Death and the Miser

Death and the Miser
ArtistHieronymus Bosch
Year1490–1516
LocationNational Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Death and the Miser (also known as Death of the Usurer) is a Northern Renaissance painting produced between 1490 and 1516 by the Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch. The piece was originally part of a triptych, but the center piece is missing. It is a memento mori painting, which is meant to remind the viewer of the inevitability of death and the futility of the pursuit of material wealth, illustrating the sin of greed.

There is still debate about the exact symbolism of the man and the objects in the foreground. Bosch was influenced by the Ars moriendi, religious texts that instructed Christians how to live and die. It is now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.[1]

It measures 93 x 31 cm (36 5/8 x 12 3/16 in) overall, and as framed 105.9 x 43.5 x 5.4 cm (41 11/16 x 17 1/8 x 2 1/8 in).[1]

  1. ^ a b Hieronymus Bosch: Death and the Miser, c. 1485/1490. National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 23 Oct 2018.