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| One of Hans Holbein II's engravings of the Dance of Death motif |
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In 1538, German artist Hans Holbein the Younger, published his Dance of Death. Holbein's work is a series of 41 woodcut engravings created circa 1526 and published in 1538. In Holbein's work, Death appears in scenes of everyday life, coming for the living of all social and economic status. To many he comes unexpected and unwelcome. Prior to Holbeins woodcuts, each not much bigger than the size of a postage-stamp, the genre had been dominated by French artists from the late medieval times. Holbein's contribution to the Dance of Death motif has since became the most noted reference.
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| In Holbein's woodcuts, Death is not only leading a dance to the grave; rather he appears in a variety of settings to a variety of types of people. This has an educational aim focused on the maxim "In death all are equal," from the pope to the prince to the pauper. |
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| At times Death seems to be the arbiter of justice, denouncing greediness and the abuse of power. The first four engravings, scenes from the Genesis, are followed by a group of skeletons playing music. The dance begins with the pope and goes on with thirty-four other victims. An engraving representing the Last Judgment and another one showing the armoral bearings of Death close the series. |
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| Death is introduced when Adam and Eve are driven out of Paradise. Outside, Death stands triumphantly: from now on, all men will die. In many of his tabeaux, Holbein uses the hourglass as a symbol for the passage of time. It appears for the first time in a scene from the Genesis that shows Adam working on the land, tilling the soil while Eve suckles Cain. The hourglass appears in twenty-four more tableaux. |
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| Nobility is no match for Death. Death comes for the pope during the most prestigious moment of his career--the crowning of an emperor. Two devils symbolizing the temptation of vanity complete the picture and add to this tableau's lesson. Death also arrives while the cardinal, is corruptly selling indulgences. The bishop looks confused whereas Death takes him by the hand to guide him through a herd of sheep. Death grasps the monk as the clergyman tries to flee with the numerous belongings he has aquired despite his vows of poverty. The most ironic of all the engravings is the one with the nun. While praying in her richly decorated room, she throws a glance to her lover. Death intervenes by extinguishing a candle on the altar, symbolizing the nun's destiny. |
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| Holbein's sympathy for the poor particularly shows when they face the indifference of the rich. Death comes for the Duke as he pushes back a woman and her child. He takes the lawyer as he is receiving fees from a rich customer and ignore the poor. When the grim Reaper arrives for the senator who ignors a beggar behind him, a devil symbolizing the temptation of greediness is perched on the politician's shoulders. Holbein often shows a subtle sense of humor as when Death grabs the rich man's money before stealing his soul. |
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| More lessons about justice abound, such as when Death takes the emperor's crown, while a peasant begs his Highness in vain to do him justice. The careful observer will note that the emperor carries a broken sword . This indicates he does not have the capacity to make a right decision. In another tableau, Death is on the verge of stealing the judge's baton, symbol of his duty. The judge, who is getting bribed by a rich man, is unaware of that. Money has more weight than rightfulness in the balance of justice. And the less wealthy man always loses his case. Death puts itself between the doctor and his patient. Holbein seems to say that despite of all the doctor's skilfulness, medicine cannot prevent what cannot be prevented--sooner or later, he will die, as well as his patients. |
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| The knight, the nobleman and the count, who have been victorious in great battles, now face a greater opponent--Death. The nobleman valiantly tries to fight, but the coffin lying at his feet is an obvious symbol for the outcome of the duel. Death easily transfixes the knight with his own spear. And the count runs away while Death, disguised as a peasant, tears off his coat of arms. |
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| Nevertheless, Death is not always represented as a dispenser of justice. It is cruel when it kidnaps a child and takes him away from his family. In a strange way, Death sometimes play the role of a friend or a servant: as with Adam, it helps thefarmerto plough his field. It pours water, so the king can wash his hands before the meal. It solemnly attends the old man and the old woman to their last sleep. |
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| Finally, with The Last Judgment, Holbein reminds us that redemption and resurrection is always possible with the help of Jesus Christ. The men and women who believe in Him can overcome Death. |
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| Below is the list of the forty-one woodcuts from Holbein's Dance of Death. |
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| 1- The Creation 2- The Temptation 3- Expulsion of Adam and Eve 4- Adam Tills the Soil 5- Bones of All Men 6- The Pope 7- The Emperor 8- The King 9- The Cardinal 10- The Empress 11- The Queen 12- The Bishop 13- the Duke 14- The Abbot 15- The Abbess 16- The Nobleman 17- The Canon 18- The Judge 19- The Advocate 20- The Senator 21- The Preacher 22- The Priest 23- The Monk 24- The Nun 25- The Old Woman 26- The Physician 27- The Astrologer 28- The Rich Man 29- The Merchant 30- The Seaman 31- The Knight 32- The Count 33- The Old Man 34- The Countess 35- The Noblewoman 36- The Duchess 37- The Peddler 38- The Ploughman 39- The Child 40- The Last Judgment 41- The Escutcheon of Death |
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| Adapted from "Hans Holbein and the Dance of Death." Seth Elwood. 20 Nov. 1999. Available 30 January 2000 <http://art.deutsch.com/holbein/index.html>. |
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