Death Scene - Fabritius

It seems recognised that death scenes are hard to write well - to avoid trivialisation or mawkishness -and I had to put one in the first chapter! I hope I've managed it okay, but feedback appreciated.

I searched for advice on writing death scenes, and based on that have worked in the following:

• emphasise close relationships with other characters
• emphasis dying character's good qualities - his painting, and nurturing of the younger Vermeer
• connection to a previous death - Vermeer's father
• have the dying character leave a legacy - Vermeer has to live up to him surviving.
• remind of better, past times - flashback to looking at Fab's goldfinch.
• show survivor traumatised by the loss

In subsequent chapters I'll further develop some of this, and work in:

• rituals putting the dead to rest
• effect on the survivors
• more of fab's back story