An Allegory of Death

Frans Francken II (Antwerp 1581 - Antwerp 1642) . Oil painting on copper, An Allegory of Death by Frans Francken II (Antwerp 1581 - Antwerp 1642). An allegorical picture showing a violin-playing skeleton before a rich merchant counting his money. Another skeleton has approached a customer in the arched doorway in the background on the right. This painting is one of many versions of the same subject, to which the closest repetition is in the Historisches Museum, Frankfurt. Another similar version was with the dealer Johnny van Haeften, London in 1989 having belonged to the Duke of Newcastle, Clumber and sold at Christie's. Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire (Accredited Museum)