Hans Holbein's celebrated Dance of death : illustrated by a series of photo-lithographic facsimiles from the copy of the first edition now in the British Museum : accompanied by explanatory descriptions and a consise history of the origin and subsequ

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In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane

tuo.

A la suetix de ton uisaige

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Homo natus de muliere brosi vivens tempore repletur multis serris , qui quali flos egreditur ,3c conteritur,cto fugit velut Vmbra. l O M A I I I I

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HIS subject forms a remarhable terminationto the series. Death has been exhibited striking down his victims in youth, in man-hood, and in old age ; and at last even thelitile child at play besore the cheersul fire, is beingdragged forth stom the poor Cottage by the grim

visitant, besore the eyes of the terror-Strichen mollier, even while sile is in the very aci os preparing sorher youngest dariing a meat, os which he is never totaste. Nothing Can be more dramatic than the treat-ment of this scene ; Death wears the loose Cap of apeasant, and affecis to lead sortii the insant affection-ately, as though he were iis sather ; while an elder Child, to Whose eyes, perhaps, the sheleton is invisibie, screams With terror at the mySterious diSappearance of his litile brother.

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HOLBE IN S DANCE OF DE ATH

Omnes stabimus ante tribunal domisit.

vigilaten orate,quia nescitis qua hora

venturus sit dominus. MAT. x x I l I I

Deuant te trosne dii grand iuge

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P has been thought by some critics that this device, and that of the Creation, are notthe work of the fame hand as those of mostothers of this series. But this may possibiybe a Some hat hasty Conclusion, sor the nature os the subjecis evidently necessitated a disserent treatinent, the cause of Whicli need not necessarily be fought in the supposition that they are the work of another han i, Which. hoWever, may possibly be the Case. It may be remarhed that the heavenly Sphere, Spanned hy the well-kno n emblem os the bo that was set in the clouds, ' and having the lesser sphere of thel earth seen with in it, is one of the favourite methods of the artisis of the I 5th and I6th centuries, sor repre- senting heaven and earth in their symbolical desi s.

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ECCLE. VII

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series. The brohen shield with the deatli's-head sor iis sole blagon, is a poWersutly Conceived emblem of the transitory character of earthlyrank and state,-an idea stili farther carried out by the crest above the helmet, Which Consists of anhou glass as an emblem of life ; above Which, tWosheleton arms raise a large stone, Which may bedroppess and shalter it to pieCes at any moment. The figures standing on either fide of the shield asSupporters, are said to be those of Ηolbein and his Wise, and the head of the man bears Certainly a Strong resemblance to the artist's undoubted portraiis. This device in sonae of the later editions is occasionalty placed at the beginning of the work, though evidently designed for the end, as both the scriptural motio and the nature of the design clearly indicate.