The original plaster model is in the holdings of the Danish National Gallery while two bronze castings are located outside St. Peter's Church in Copenhagen and Vejen Art Museum.

Hansen Jacobsen created the original plaster model in 1892, shortly after he had settled in Paris where he lived until 1901.

When the sculpture was exhibited at Charlottenborg in 1894, the catalogue contained a slightly modified version of the last sentence of the tale: "And she lowered her head into her lap.

The next year it was exhibited at Charlottenborg and in 1899 Hansen Jacobsen gave the model to the Danish National Gallery.

The portrayal of Death as the Grim Reaper was frequently seen in other artworks of the time, such as in paintings by Jean-François Millet and the Danish painter L. A.