Why it matters
The bearded Böcklin is stalked by Death playing a one-stringed fiddle, an intimation of his mortality. The painting established his reputation in Munich.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1872.
- It echoes a 16th-century portrait of Sir Brian Tuke with Death pointing at an hourglass.
- Alma Mahler said Gustav Mahler was 'under its spell' when writing the scherzo of his Fourth Symphony.
Based on the Wikipedia article Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle (CC BY-SA 4.0).
