The Peasant

eath helps the peasant ploughing the fields — just like Death once helped Adam delving. The sinking sun forebodes that this will be the last time for this peasant. The idyllic sunset has often been praised by various commentators.

The beeyoutiful idyl is somehow marred by one of the horses shitting — and all considered, it's all rubbish and the idyl is only seeming. Death is not helping the peasant, on the contrary he's driving the horses away with a speed that is bound to kill the horses along with the peasant.

Variations: Birckmann lets Death place the hourglass on the plough (instead of having it hanging around the neck), and adds a canteen in the lower corner. This is copied by Deuchar.
Rubens let Death turn his head, so we can see him in profile. This is copied by Mechel