The Cook

Category

Library Item

Item no

28462

Title

The Cook

Description

Death takes the cook by the hand, leading him to his end. As he is pulled away, the cook spills his sauce on the ground; this is a powerful visual metaphor which confirms the cook's imminent demise. The contrast between Death's emaciated frame and the cook's portly, pot-bellied figure is very pronounced, and serves to emphasise the fact that the cook's body will soon resemble Death's. This is further highlighted by Death's mimicry of the cook; he carries a chicken on a spit. In the rhymes printed with this engraving, Death taunts the cook: 'How fat you are, you can hardly walk./ Even if you have boiled much sweet candy,/ it will go sour for you now. You must away.'

Artist / maker

Merian, Matthäus

Date

1696

Size

12.0 x 9.8 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Art and Design Library

This image is taken from a 1696 edition of Matthäus Merian's Dance of Death engravings; the book is part of Central Library's Dance of Death Collection. Merian's prints were first published in 1649, and were reprinted a number of times by various publishers. Merian completed the designs for the engravings as early as 1616; these were based on a newly-restored Dance of Death mural painted in Basel.

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Related images

Related subjects

People > Body parts > Skeletons

People > Commercial activities > Kitchen staff

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