The Genius of Money: Money and the Dance of Death

In this chapter, Hans Holbein paints a picture of a man sitting at his desk in a jail-like cell. The walls are solid and the windows are closed and protected with metal bars. Hans wanted to illustrate that no man could get in or out, leaving the money alone. However, there is another 'man' sitting on the other side of the desk. Except this 'man' is more of a creature. It is supposed to be death, but Hans wanted to anthropomorphize death. The human man is blind with greed and scolds at death to leave his money alone, not realizing that death could care less about his money. The man is basically about to die, with nothing more than gold coins to keep him company. The dwindling candlelight and empty hourglass signify that he is out of time. To me, Hans's painting represents most of society-- how we are so obsessed with money that it has taken control of our lives. However in the end, we all die and what really counts is the human connections we have formed, not the value of metallic rocks.