Monday, November 14, 2011

The Danse Macabre Collection

woodcut of danse macabre gravedigger in cemetery
Title: Der Tod von Basel : acht Holzschnitte von Rudolf Schiestl zu dem alten Volksliede [LINK]
Author: Rudolf Schiestl, 1924



totentanz skeleton in suit laughs, derailing train
Title: Ein moderner Totentanz : dreiundzwanzig Blätter aus dem Bilderbuch des Todes [LINK]
Author: Tobias Weiss, 1913



lithograph of danse macabre figure taking young man to death

litho of death in form of skeleton taking knight
Title: La Danse des Morts à Bâle [LINK]
Illustrator: (after) Hans Holbein, 1846



dancing skeletons inside triangular illustration border
Title: The dance of death on the Muhlenbruke at Lucerne [LINK]
Author: Caspar Meglinger, 1893



silhouette of death's dance figure downing WWI plane

danse macabre silhouette figure dressed as lady takes upper class gent to death

silhouette of danse macabre skeleton
Title: Ein Totentanz [LINK]
Authors: Walter Draesner & Max von Boehn, 1922




winged totentanz figure in sky

death's dance skeleton puts carpenter into casket

death's dance figure with sword stands behind blindfolded young person
Title: Bilder des Todes oder Todtentanz für alle Stände [LINK]
Illustrator / Author: Johann Gottfried Flegel / Carl Merkel, 1850




line drawing of death's dance in middle of war
Title: Auch ein Todtentanz [LINK]
Author: Alfred Rethel & Robert Reinick, 1902




skeleton - danse macabre figure - in rocking chair
Title: Daud un Düwel [LINK]
Author / Illustrator: Karl Wagenfeld / August Heumann, 1919



many dance of death skeletons celebrate, blowing horns and wearing headdresses
Title: Schau-Platz des Todes oder Todten-Tanz in Kupffern und Versen vorgestellet [LINK]
Author: Salomon van Rusting, 1736



The Heinrich Hein University of Düsseldorf recently uploaded the Graphiksammlung „Mensch und Tod“ (Danse Macabre Collection). There are more than ninety books available, many of them from the later (lesser known) Totentanz / Death's Dance period. The complete books are available for all but one or two of the entries.


Previous related entries (the first 3 in particular have a lot of background and links about the Death's Dance genre):
Heidelberger Totentanz ::: Death's Dance ::: Totentanz Blockbook ::: Ars Moriendi ::: Los Calaveras de Posada ::: The Day of The Dead - Papercuts ::: The Antikamnia Chemical Company ::: Speculum Musico-Mortuale.

UPDATE: See the Wurzeltod post: A Mid-November's Dance of Death in which the inimitable Suzanne puts some personal flesh on the bones of 'Bilder des Todes oder Todtentanz für alle Stände' by Carl Merkel & Johann Gottfried Flegel.
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