The Pope, from "The Dance of Death"
Original title: The Pope, from "The Dance of Death"
kurzbeschreibung
A pope sits on his throne and receives the crown from the hands of a skeleton. Hans Holbein the Younger made this woodcut around 1526 for the cycle 'The Dance of Death'; it appeared in print in 1538. Praying companions and allegorical figures frame the action.
Description
Enthroned, the pope is having a skeleton place the crown on his head. To the left a servant kneels, his gaze fixed on the pope; to the right a priest stands in prayer. Behind them appear a dragon, a devil, and a figure with a skull. A rich curtain encloses the image, the layout feels mirror-like, and the rendering stays black and white.
Context
This cycle was created shortly after the Reformation, in an era of religious upheaval in Europe. Holbein, working in Basel, let death treat all estates alike, low or high. The series was published in Lyon in 1538 and spread quickly from there.
Impact
Papal dignity and inescapable mortality meet here, which comes across as both ironic and admonitory. The precise working of details and the ordered symmetry give the sheet a quiet but insistent presence.
Technique
For printing, the drawing was cut into a block, then printing ink transferred the image to paper. This process allows delicate lines and hatching that capture garments and facial features exactly. At only 6.4 x 4.9 cm, it shows how confidently Holbein handled the medium.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)