Hans Baldung: The Knight, the Young Girl, & Death

Happy Halloween! 🎃 Among many spooky memento mori paintings, Hans Baldung’s The Knight, the Young Girl, & Death must be one of the most memorable. In this artwork, the knight and the lady are making their getaway from the skeleton, representing Death, that bites on the girl’s dress. The girl has her arms around the knight, and hides her face in fear. She is positioned between life and happiness (represented by the knight), and death and total destruction (represented by Death). The knight and the girl are both young and represent “unity”, being both dressed in red, but Death does not differentiate who to take. The vigour and energy of the knight’s horse further underscore the contrast between life and debilitating Death that is on the ground and also mirrors and mocks the girl’s hug by embracing a tree stump. Hans Baldung (1485-1545) was the most gifted student of Albrecht Dürer, a German artist of the Renaissance period, and was also a talented engraver, printer, and stained glass painter.