A vanitas: As we are born, so we die

The composition of this allegorical painting relates to a prime by Jan van Hemessen, itself harking back to German sixteenth century prints that depict a dead or dying infant with a skull. The earliest dated example of such a print is an engraving by Barthel Beham of 1525 (Hollstein 37). These prints in turn derive from an earlier Italian tradition, first represented in a medal of 1458 by Giovanni Boldu. The motto Nasse Morimur, which could be translated as 'as we are born, we die', derives from the first century Roman poet Marcus Manilius' Astronomica. It appears earlier in a woodcut of 1537 by Cornelis Anthonisz. (Hollstein 26) and also in a painting by Georg Pencz, which was offered at Sotheby's London, 24 March 1951, lot 107.