A print from the series Les Cinq Morts or The Five Deaths. At the centre of this oval composition, Death is depicted in profile, striding to the right while clutching a screaming infant. To the right, a second figure of Death carries away another child. In the background looms the Cemetery of the Innocents in Paris, its ossuary arches added in the second state of the print. Part of the series The Five Deaths (Les Cinq Morts), this work was completed by Stefano della Bella during his time in France. Likely created in his final years there, the series re-imagines the medieval Northern European theme of the Dance of Death, a motif that traditionally portrays Death claiming individuals from all walks of life and ages. While in France, della Bella produced four oval etchings depicting Death's relentless pursuit, three set in cemeteries and one on a battlefield. A horizontal composition showing Death victorious in war may also date from this period. Toward the end of his life, he revisited the theme, creating three additional oval scenes, two of which remained unfinished at his death. The setting, the Cemetery of the Innocents, was likely well known to della Bella, as many Parisian publishers and print sellers operated from the charnel houses lining its grounds. De Vesme Massar 66.88. ii/iii.