Holbein's Sequence

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Les Simulachres & historiees faces de la mort.
Lyons, 1538. (BRA0001)

Dances of Death created specifically for printed books were most often designed as a series of discrete scenes that paired Death with one person. Images were arranged in an order that maintained the hierarchy of individuals, with persons of higher status appearing at the beginning of the series. This arrangement allowed the reader to encounter each character in turn, page by page, thus recreating the sense of a procession. Holbein’s characters are also placed in scenes with distinct settings appropriate to their station and occupation. While we can see similarities between the murals and books, the early editions of Holbein’s work were not titled “Dance of Death,” but instead “Faces” or “Images” of Death. The original 1538 publication (Les Simulachres & historiees faces de la mort) included forty-one woodcuts, thirty-four of which portray individuals of varying age, occupation, and social status comprising twenty-five men, eight women, and one child. Death variously appears as a gentle companion, a hostile combatant, and a mirth-filled abductor. Some scenes show Death seizing people suddenly in the midst of their daily activities, cautioning that one may not be given time to repent sinful acts.

Holbein's Sequence