id: 110599
accession number: 1929.163
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1929.163
updated: 2023-03-08 11:01:43.072000
Dance of Death: The Sailor, c. 1526. Hans Holbein (German, 1497/98–1543). Woodcut; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1929.163
title: Dance of Death: The Sailor
title in original language:
series:
series in original language:
creation date: c. 1526
creation date earliest: 1521
creation date latest: 1526
current location:
creditline: Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
copyright:
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culture: Germany, 16th century
technique: woodcut
department: Prints
collection: PR - Woodcut
type: Print
find spot:
catalogue raisonne: Passavant vol.3.366.29
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CREATORS
* Hans Holbein (German, 1497/98–1543) - artist
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measurements:
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edition of the work:
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inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Exhibition of Prints by the Little Masters: Prints form the Museum Collection
opening date: 1938-03-23T05:00:00
Exhibition of Prints by the Little Masters: Prints form the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 23-April 24, 1938).
title: 16th Century German Woodcuts
opening date: 1939-01-24T05:00:00
16th Century German Woodcuts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 24-February 26, 1939).
title: Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection
opening date: 2003-08-17T00:00:00
Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
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PROVENANCE
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fun fact:
digital description:
wall description:
Dance of Death is the most celebrated series of woodcuts designed by Holbein. The forty-one blocks were cut by Hans Lützelburger in the years immediately before his death in 1526, though the set was not published until 1538. Dance of Death originated as a drama in the middle of the 14th century. Following widespread epidemics such as the black plague, these plays took place in a cemetery or churchyard. Actors, dressed in pale costumes painted to resemble skeletons, personified Death and summoned a group of people from all social classes in a dancelike procession. In a period when the life span was short, the purpose of the Dance of Death was to remind the populace to prepare for the Last Judgement.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1929.163/1929.163_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1929.163/1929.163_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1929.163/1929.163_full.tif