The Merchant, from "The Dance of Death"
Original title: The Merchant, from "The Dance of Death"
kurzbeschreibung
A merchant is caught off guard by a skeleton in this woodcut by Hans Holbein the Younger, designed around 1526 and published in 1538. The sheet belongs to the 'Dance of Death' series and drives home the vanity of earthly possessions.
Description
A man in opulent robes sits in an armchair, recoiling in alarm with raised hands. From the left, a skeleton steps toward him, holding out an apron or cloak and reaching with its right hand for something. Outside, behind the scene, several sailing ships struggle on a churning sea; some have taken damage, their sails hanging limp. The sky looks gloomy and ominous, and the layout is marked by strong contrasts of light and dark and a sense of great agitation.
Context
Holbein's 'Dance of Death' emerged in an era of profound religious upheaval—the Reformation and the Peasants' War shaped the times. The woodcuts first appeared in 1538 in Lyon, although the designs were already in existence around 1526. The series makes visible that death makes all people equal, regardless of rank and wealth. Holbein created the works during his first stay in Basel, where he worked as a painter and printmaker.
Impact
A sense of unease sets in at the sight of the menacingly close skeleton and the merchant's frantic gestures. The dark, stormy surroundings intensify the feeling of transience and inevitable end. Expressive lines and harsh light-dark contrasts give the sheet something insistent, even theatrical.
Technique
The sheet was made as a woodcut, a relief printing process in which the design is cut into a wooden block and then printed onto paper. The nuanced lines and shading demonstrate Holbein's confident handling of this technique, which allows for detailed and expressive images. The small-format sheet (about 6.5 x 5 cm) is part of a series that was disseminated in book form.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)