[2] The Virgin Mary's death is recorded as an apocryphal story in the Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine.

[4] Bruegel's painting shows similarities to Martin Schongauer's and Albrecht Dürer's engravings of the same scene which may suggest inspiration.

[2] Charles de Tolnay stated that the composition was inspired by the miniature La Mort, painted by Simon Bening in the Grimani Breviary between 1505 and 1510.

[1] The underdrawn lines show that the cat was originally slightly more to the right, the woman plumping the pillow was also more to the right and the bed may have been smaller.

[8][7][9][10] He then distributed these prints to his friends including notable figures Dirck Volkertszoon Coornhert and Benedictus Montanus.