An articulated skeleton reclines casually atop a closed wooden coffin, one leg bent on the lid and the other extended straight to the floor. Its skull tilts back against the raised lid and one arm rests near the coffin's edge, giving the pose a relaxed, almost wry air. The figure crosses the lower frame diagonally, leaving a large expanse of dark space in the upper right.

A single soft light from the front left picks out the skull, ribcage and raised knee before everything else falls away into deep shadow. Loose, confident brushwork, visible canvas grain and a low-sheen, aged-varnish look give this chiaroscuro memento mori its gothic, theatrical quality.