The Dance of Death: Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans HolbeinDouce, Francis
History
The Dance of Death: Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans Holbein
Douce, Francis
Bible. Old Testament -- Illustrations; Dance of death
II. A Dance of Death, engraved on copper, by Henry Aldegrever. 1. Creation
of Eve. 2. Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. 3. Expulsion from
Paradise. 4. Adam digging, Eve spinning. 5. Death and the Pope. 6. Death
and the Cardinal. 7. Death and the Bishop. 8. Death and the Abbot. All
these have the date 1541, and with some variations follow the Lyons
woodcuts. They have scriptural texts in Latin. 12mo. The whole were
afterwards copied in a work by Kieser, already described, p. 121.
III. A Dance of Death, consisting of eight subjects, engraved on copper by
an unknown artist, whose mark is [monogram: AC]. 1. Death beating a drum,
precedes a lady and gentleman accompanied by a little dog. 2. Death
playing on a stickado, precedes a lady and gentleman dancing back to back,
below an hour-glass. 3. Death, with an hour-glass in his right hand, lays
his left on the shoulder of a gentleman taking hold of a lady with his
right hand, and carrying a hawk with his left. 4. Death crowned with a
garland, and holding an hour-glass in his left hand, stands between a lady
and gentleman joining hands. 5. Death, with a fool's cap and hood, a
dagger of lath, and a bladder, holds up an hour-glass with his right hand;
with his left he seizes the hand of a terrified lady accompanied by a
gentleman, who endeavours to thrust away the unwelcome companion. 6.
Another couple led by Death. 7. Death with a cap and feathers holds an
hour-glass in his right hand, and with his left seizes a lady, whom a
gentleman endeavours to draw away from him. All have the date 1562. 12mo.
Size, three inches by two. They are described also in Bartsch, Peintre
Graveur, ix. 482, and have been sometimes erroneously ascribed to
Aldegrever.
[Illustration]
IV. A Dance of Death, extremely well executed on wood, the designs of
which have been taken from a set of initial letters, that will hereafter
be particularly described. They are upright, and measure two inches by one
and a half. Each subject is accompanied with two German verses.
V. On the back of the title page to "Die kleyn furstlich Chronica,"
Strasb. 1544, 4to. are three subjects that appear to be part of a series.
1. Death and the Pope, who has a book and triple crosier. Death kneels to
him whilst he plays on a tabor and drum. 2. Death and the King. Death
blows a trumpet. 3. Death shoots an arrow at a warrior armed with sword
and battle-axe. All these figures are accompanied with German verses, and
are neatly engraved on wood.
VI. A series of single figures, etched with great spirit by Giovanni Maria
Mitelli. They are not accompanied by Death, but hold dialogues with him in
Italian stanzas. The characters are, 1. The Astrologer. 2. The Doctor of
universal science. 3. The Hunter. 4. The Mathematician. 5. The Idolater.
They are not mentioned in Bartsch, nor in any other list of the works of
engravers. It is possible that there are more of them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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