A woman in ruffled finery sits on a chair, her face and profile turned to the right, being overwhelmed in a close, inescapable embrace with Death, who is wielding a knife or dagger in his right hand. His skull nearly touches her face, but her expression is one of calm acceptance. Her fancy clothing hints at subtle signs of earthly vanity, and the scene becomes a powerful memento mori, reminding the viewer of the inevitability of mortality and the danse macabre.