BALDUNG GRIEN, Hans
(b. 1484/85, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, d. 1545, Strasbourg)

Death and the Maiden

1517
Oil on panel, 30 x 15 cm
Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, Basel

In the later version of the theme by Baldung, the awaited lover of the maiden turns out to be a grimacing Death, who embraces her with its bony fingers pulling at her hair, a reminder that her beauty will soon vanish, as the ominous inscription above her head warns: "This is your end."