The Duchess is sitting up in her bed as two deaths go about their grim task. The lady's dog appears to be alarmed but can offer no help.
It is interesting to see a rich lady's bed from that era: the mattress is raised from the floor by an ornate wooden platform and enclosed by posts and a canopy. There is a padded tapestry against the wall. The woman is elegantly dressed for bed. But her wealth and comfort avail her not; it is time to join the dance of death.
The Duchess is one of the upper class characters depicted in Holbein's masterpiece. She is contrasted by the lower class personages in the second part of the Dance of Death, which include beggars and thieves.
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Holbein - the Dance of Death.