Andreas Vesalius, De humani corporis fabrica libri septem, Basel: ex. off. J. Oporini, 1543, p. 164, woodcut, leaf height 43 cm, N*.1.2(A).

The inscription on the side of the sarcophagus, ‘One lives on by the spirit, the rest shall belong to Death’, is the most explicit connection Vesalius makes for the skeleton as a symbol of death. The corresponding image in the Epitome sports a different verse, though with a similar message.