The charm of the present allegorical depiction stems from its rich and evocative iconography. The work was familiar to Adam Bartsch, who attributed it to Giovanni Battista d’Angolo, going so far as to describe it as “la plus considérable de tout son oeuvre”. Indeed, there can be no overlooking the stylistic parallels with works known to be by Battista del Moro; the present monumental etching encompasses the entire fascinating iconographical repertoire of Venetian art in the Cinquecento. Shapes and forms recalling works by Titian are combined with topoi from Venetian art, such as the group of musicians in the open air, Orientals in exotic robes and references to popular pictorial traditions. The group of flautists, for example, probably originates from a fresco by Girolamo Romanino in the Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trient. The omnipresence of death is the overriding theme in this striking scene. A little owl perched slightly to the right of centre serves the skeletons as a decoy to lure the mortals into its net and deliver them to their inevitable fate. It is a fate that befalls everyone, not just those who while away the hours by engaging in such frivolous pursuits as music-making, but also the three men a little further away who are busy studying scholarly texts. In the background a number of unfortunate souls have become entangled in a net, while death chases others towards a trap. On the upper right of the picture a galley with billowing sails puts to sea, transporting victims to the realm of the dead. A very fine, even impression, trimmed to the platemark. In contrast to the impression in the Albertina in Vienna it comprises the image in its entirety. The impression in Vienna is printed unevenly and with omissions in the bottom right-hand corner of the image, whereas the lineament on the present impression is clear and distinctly visible. A flattened vertical hanging fold on the verso, hardly visible on recto, minor defects, otherwise in very good condition. Of great rarity.