Tentatio Avaritia

Tentatio Avaritia - “Temptation against greed”

The late Middle Ages were a time of uncertainty, upheaval and death. Death was ever-present. Bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, killed over 20 million people – two-thirds of Europe’s population. Famine struck repeatedly and throughout the 1300s and 1400s - barely a year went by without conflict, rebellion and war. Many turned to their faith for reassurance. Educated men of the Christian Church realised that people needed practical guidance in these times of turbulence, anxiety and ultimately death. The answer was an illustrated guide to death, known as Ars Moriendi, or the Art of Dying.

In 1415, an anonymous Dominican friar – following the teachings of the Spanish priest Saint Dominic of Caleruega – set to work on the handbook, written in Latin, the text was designed to help priests support people offering spiritual guidance and practical advice. Due to the text’s popularity, a shorter version of Ars Moriendi was written in 1450 featuring coloured woodcut illustrations and focusing on five temptations that may have been common challenges or worriment when facing mortality.

The fifth temptation listed in the abbreviated version of Ars Moriendi is the one chosen to illustrate this etched Ghost.

Temptation against avarice and greed translated as “Tentatio Avaritia“, which seems a fitting sentiment in an era that could almost be categorised by an obsession with overt consumerism, mass production and material greed. With hope and with the opportunity to pause and take stock there is also the possibility to re-address and reshape our habits and direction.

Batch of 28

Release date : 24/4/20