The mosaic in the second Pompeian style, embedded in the floor of the summer triclinium of the House 1, 5, 2 in Pompeii, portrays, in an allegoric and symbolic way, the philosophical theme of Hellenistic origin of the transience of life and impending death. The climax of the scene is a level with its plumb line, a tool used by bricklayers to control the levelling of constructions.
The axis of the plumb line is Death (the skull), under which there is a butterfly (the soul) balancing on a wheel (Fortune). Beneath the arms of the level, opposing and perfectly balancing, are the symbols of poverty on the right (the pack-saddle, the beggar’s stick and the cloak) and of wealth on the left (the scepter, the purple and the crown). Note the artist’s skill in using tesserae of different colors to give greater accuracy and characterization to the elements of the composition.