Allegory of the end of man's life

Art Historical Context

Created in 1589 by Tommaso Moneta and Bernardino Passeri, *Allegory of the End of Man’s Life* is a striking engraving that captures the moral and philosophical concerns of the late Renaissance. During this period, artists frequently explored themes of mortality, virtue, and the passage of time, often through symbolic imagery meant to guide viewers toward spiritual reflection. As a collaborative print, the work highlights the division of labor common in engraving workshops, where one artist might design the composition while another executed the intricate line work on the copper plate. Engravings like this one played a vital role in 16th-century culture by making complex ideas accessible beyond the walls of churches and palaces. Their reproducibility allowed such allegorical scenes to reach a broader audience, serving both as devotional tools and as reminders of life’s brevity. Measuring roughly 52 by 38 centimeters, this large sheet would have commanded attention whether displayed in a private study or collected for its artistic merit. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints as part of the Elisha Whittelsey Collection, the engraving continues to offer viewers a window into Renaissance attitudes toward death and the enduring power of printmaking to preserve moral narratives across centuries.

About the Artist

Tommaso Moneta|Bernardino Passeri (Italian|Italian) · 1538 |1577 –1642 |1585

Italian, active Rome, 1588–1603|Italian, active Rome, ca. 1577–85