Portrait of a Young Man with a Skull
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
18.6 × 14.6 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Mary Spedding Milliken Memorial Collection, Gift of William Mathewson Milliken
Accession Number
1941.297
Tags
male
About this artwork
Dressed in exceptionally fine attire––fancy plumes, brocade collar, and slashed sleeves––this young man solemnly points at a skull he is carrying in his cloak. The juxtaposition of the skull and the lavish clothing is a message that frivolous pleasures are misguided and the bravado of youth is ephemeral.