The Triumph of Death, plate five from The Triumphs of Petrarch

Prints and Drawings

c. 1539

Georg Pencz
German, c. 1500-1550

The back of this impression of Georg Pencz’s Triumph of Death bears the signature, dated 1676, of Pierre Mariette II, an illustrious connoisseur and printseller who seems to have found the series to be a good investment. Mariette purchased at least one copy of the set before, as the British Museum now possesses both the Triumph of Love and The Triumph of Death signed by Mariette and dated 1666. This image itself is one of the most dramatic in the series, with a scythe-wielding skeleton embodying Death and a terrifying Hellmouth reminiscent of the work of Hieronymus Bosch opening in the distance.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Georg Pencz
Title: The Triumph of Death, plate five from The Triumphs of Petrarch
Place: Germany (Artist's nationality)
Date: Made 1534–1544
Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: Plate/sheet: 15 × 21.9 cm (5 15/16 × 8 5/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer
Reference Number: 1919.2548
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