Der Tod und das Mädchen

Some weeks ago I picked up a book called 'The Northern Renaissance' at a sale of art books from Surrey Libraries, an interesting and well illustrated book, if using rather an odd typeface. The typeface being the odder for the book being published by Phaidon, usually quite good at book design.

Browsing yesterday, I came across the picture left, by one Hans Baldung Grien, painted just about 500 years ago for a banker in Basel, where it is still to be found. It seems that Grien, along with others, was fond of this theme, pre-dating the well-known works of Schubert of the same name by some 300 years. It also seems that the banker had a taste for ladies with thick necks.

Note the gravestone on which the lady stands. Is it to be her own?

I think I have http://artfcity.com/ to thank for the image as well as Google.