The Advocate
c. 1526
Hans Holbein the Younger brings a grim sense of justice to the legal profession in this woodcut from his famous 'Dance of Death' series, created around 1526. Here, a grinning skeleton—Death himself—interrupts a wealthy lawyer mid-stride on a cobblestone street, seemingly accepting a fee that will no longer do him any good. The hourglass perched on the skeleton's staff is a stark reminder that time has run out, no matter how much gold you have in your purse. It's a classic *memento mori* with a sharp satirical edge, poking fun at 16th-century lawyers who thought they could talk their way out of the grave.
- Technique
- Woodcut
- Material
- Paper and ink
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