I'll swear, this has to be the weirdest composition of the male and female nudes I think I have ever run across. I guess even patrons of the arts in the 16th century got randy on occasion and needed a little visual stimulation. They couldn't just run down to the news stand and pick up a copy of their favorite skin magazine. This certainly fits the bill for satisfying some urge someone had or a way of preaching to the masses. Cupid and Death doing what they were intended to be doing. My Latin is rusty. Perhaps someone out there can translate the inscription. I love the expression on the female's face. She looks like she knows exactly what she wants and aims (no pun intended, well maybe so) to get it, or him, or something. She is definitely determined and has a good grip (oops, I did it again) on things. Nice work if you can get it. Old death is already enjoying the view with that erection. I think I can die happy now. I've seen it all now as far as artistic composition is concerned.
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Alright, mystery solved. It is a moral lesson. The Latin phrase "
Mors Ultima Linea Rerum" translates to: "
Death, The Final Boundary of Things" after Horace. The concept is usually associated with a quotation from Prosper Tiro of Aquitaine:
"You flourish in wealth, and boast of the society of the great and powerful; you rejoice in the beauty of the body and the honors which men pay to you. Consider yourself, that you are mortal, that you are earth and into the earth you shall go."
Now there's a lesson to remember and to live by.
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