Vanitas motif: Death turns the wheel of life
"From the vicinity of Innsbruck comes a small painting depicting Death before a Wheel of Life. The Wheel of Life represents the course—the ups and downs—of life and is divided into ten-year increments. It is populated with male figures representing human growth—beginning with the infant, the child, the adolescent, and the person in their prime at the midpoint of life—and the gradual transition to old age and death. Humanity's "journey" ends at the cemetery, depicted at the bottom of the painting with a church in the background.
Below this is the following inscription: "Consider, O man, your life's journey, / Thus it goes up and down. / The wheel swings you high, / Then down to the grave. / Prepare yourself from childhood: / And think of death, / That there in eternity, / You may always rest with God." A black cloak hangs from the skeleton of the figure of Death to the ground. Due to this dominant element in the composition, it only becomes apparent upon closer inspection that it is death that turns the crank of the wheel of life. This suggests that the artist primarily intended to address the uncertainties inherent in life. To realize this theme, he employed a traditional art historical motif: "vanitas" (transience).
In past centuries, perceptions of life and death differed significantly from those of today. Mortality rates were high, there was considerable uncertainty regarding life expectancy, and the causes of death differed considerably from those of today. Furthermore, social inequalities were pronounced. This meant, among other things, that illnesses had varying degrees of success depending on the social class in which they occurred.
Nevertheless, the small painting, originally located in a cemetery chapel, conveys yet another layer of meaning. This refers to the human relationship to death around 1800: In times of illness or at the hour of death, trust in God gave way to trust in physicians. This shift in mentality led to an increasing focus on this world in life and death throughout the 19th century."
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