This is a drawing of skeletal and emaciated figures gathered in a cavernous setting. The scene is densely packed with figures engaged in various activities; some standing, while others are on the ground, all exhibiting varying degrees of gauntness or skeletal forms. A prominent skeletal figure with large wings is at the center, appearing to read or hold a book. The background features a high stone wall on one side, creating an enclosed space, with an intricate pattern of lines suggesting cave-like formations and wooden structures overhead. The numerous figures, some with elongated features…
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

The Skeletons

Marco Dente (Italian, c. 1493 - 1527)

after artist after Baccio Bandinelli (Florentine, 1488/1493 - 1560)

c. 1518

Medium
engraving on laid paper
Classification
Print
Dimensions
sheet: 28 x 42.7 cm (11 x 16 13/16 in.)
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CG-E
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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