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Denise Poncher before a Vision of Death

Creator

French Illuminator · 1493–1510

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Date: about 1500
Medium: Tempera colors, ink and gold
Culture: French
Department: Manuscripts
Institution: Getty Museum

Denise Poncher is depicted kneeling with her prayer book before Death, a terrifying skeleton covered in rotting flesh and holding numerous sickles. The jarring contrast between her innocent loveliness and the horrific specter looming above her is heightened by the presence of three victims lying on the ground nearby, who Death has already taken. This striking image was likely a reminder of mortality and the importance of prayer in protecting the soul.

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