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Is me conjecture respecting a UDance os Death, ' painted by Ηolbeinwhile in England, he weli Munded, then the passage reser ing to the admiration of Rubens is explained, sor, although it is very uncertainwhether that great painter ever stayed at Basle sor any tengili os time, there is no doubi about his having resided sor many monilis in London, or, that during his stay he painted the celling of the banqueting chamber in the neW pari os the palace of Whitehall, and he may tnere have Seen the Deathys Dance V by Hothein, whicli has been described a' os life sige,
and whicli Sandraan would seem to say placed iis author in the positionos a very Apelles os his art. 1t is true that he, as weli as Prior, may possibiy allude to the well-known series os eiagravings attributed to the pencilos Holbein, the more particularly as the author os the lines at the end os that volume compares the artist to Zeuxis, while Sandraari, not to sollow too cloSely a previous writer, may possibiy have made the comparison with Apelles ; but there is much evidence in savour os a painteo series on the walis of Whitehall. With regaro to the question whether Hothein ever executed a V Dance
Paintings in question were nearly obliterated, while those of the fame subject at the Dominicans' had been recently repainted. Patin also spealis osa series of paintings on a boufe at Basle, but cloes not mention the subjeci. But whether or not Hothein executed a series of frescoes or oll-paint in
of the Dance of Death V either in London or in Baste, there is pretiy good evidence that he was engaged in other ways upon that lavourite subject asearly M I53 haring been employed to adapt it to the enrichment of adagger and Sheath, the devices os whicli are the Dance of Death, V while Μ.Fortoul cites a picture attributed to him, in Whicli the meat artist s peculiaraptitude sor analogous subjecis is illustraled with singular sorce and ingenuity. In this Work a young ori is represented playing on a Sort of guttar, while amysterious magician holds a looking-glass besore her, in whicli are distinguisti te her οὐ sorm, mingling as it were with that os a skeleton, as in the well-known old print of the couri lacly, in Whicli one hals of the figureis living, painted, poWdered, and hooped, and the other hals is a Aheleton. He algo designed, about the fame time, the two celebrated alphabeis os capital letters, in the background of which was represented, in Succession, the clites devices of the V Dance of Death. V These compositions bear the indubitabie stamp of the pencit os Holbein, and are most exquisitely designedand executed, even the forms of the letters themselves heing so elegant that some have declared them to have ali the characteristics of the best Italianwork of the period, and on that ground doubted Holbein's right to be con-
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sidered their author : in explanation os which criticism it may be observet that Hol in's style had very litile of the usual Germanic mannerism, anathat he has, in laci, Men styled the German Raphael. There is eve reason to belleve that this celebrated alphabet, With the Dance of Death, V was designed by him sor the Basilian printem Bebelius and Cratander, as it appeam fimi in Works issuing Dom their press. Thesealphabeis, whicli are thought bysome to be actualty superior in generat artistic
merit, and especialty in humour, to the series os the larger subjecis, were certainly executed at Basle, Where a proos impression os the whole on onesheet may stili be seeri. They were most probably engraved on metal, asappeam by the excessive sita ness os the work, which was undoubtedly thatos Hans Lutetenberger form-Schneider-in BaSel, as Signed by the engraverhimself This exquisite series os initials, of which two distinci seis were made, one less than the other, mere goon used by many other printers, as weli asthose of Basle, and were severat times copied. An ingenious French critic hasthought he perceived, on a caresul examination os this series os letters, that the subject os the design within each letter Was invariably one the name ofwhicli commen ced with the letter which it served to decorate s, sor
do not fit so well, and the idea can only be considereo in the light os an ingenious sanc But while there is abundant evidence of the authorship of thesealphabeis, there is no positively direct proos which enabies us to assim to Holbein the sar more important and almost matchless series os designs sortite illustrations to the UDance os Death, V published at Lyons in I 338under the titie of Les Simulacres et Faces Historiέes de la Μort, ' &α, and yet such is the internat evidence assorded by the work itself that nocaresul student of art can seel a moment's doubi upon the subjeci. Borbonius, the Diend and contemporary os Holbein, has, indeed, test some epigrammatic lines in his V Νugae V which appear to leave no doubi that he considered his great artist-sriend the author os the work in question. The verses, with their titie, are-
Dum mortis Hansus pictor imaginem exprimit, Death again lives by Holbein s sicili, Tanta arte mortem retuli', ut mors vivere, And breathing quiis the tomb's dark portat :videatur ipsa-et ipse se immortalibus And, is the glory of his ari, Parem diis fecerit, operis hujus gloria. The minter, too, is made immortal.
Other evidence also exigis to fhow that even at the time os their executionthese Cuts were generalty acknowledged to be the work os Holbein ; sorinstance, the Mur firsi subjecis, relating to the Creation and Fali os man, were used by the fame Lyonese publishers in their series os Scripture subjecis, which have never been do ted as the work of Holbein, and aster-wards, when the Same Mur subjects were reproduced in England as illustrations in Cran me 's Catechism, the name os Hans Hothein as that of the designer was attached to them at suil lennii. That this continued to bethe conviction is corroborated by similar evidence ab aut a century later, on
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29 the publication os me coptes by IIollar in I 647, to whicli mere appendeda monogram and initiat, HS. i. , intended to express UHans Hol in invenit, V as proved by the woms in fuli, which occur in one or two places. The attribution os the work to Hothein had, incleed, been made without hesitation long besore the time os Hollar, and has been with as litile doubt
The samous version os the Dance of Death V now under description,
had hecome one os the most celebrated centres os the early achievemenis os the Printing-press, Was in every respect superior, both in conception and execution, to est the previous editions.' The devices were not composed in
illustration os the original quatratiis os the old Danse Μacabre, ' but os a series os passages smm the old and New Testamenis, the texis appearing ove the device, in the Latin os the Vulgate, and a Dee metrical translation in the shape os a quatrain undemeath the picture ; the lalter being possibiycomposed by Gilles Corroget, While the author os a Latin version os theselines was Georgius AEmilius, the brother-in-law of Luther. Notwithstanding the genuine stamp of Η olbein's style whicli this series os devices displays, theclaim set up sor him as the artist-producer has been holly disputed, as pre-viousty stated, and it is certainly true that his name nowhere appears upon theptates of the original editions, although it was very usual with him to sign his
posed in honour of the artist or artisis os the illustrations, other names thanthose of Hothein are mentioned. The publislier, also, at the timeos publication I338 , expresses his regret sor the dealli os the artist who had designeo Such elegant figures, while it is known that Holbein was livine in Englandnearly twenty years aster that date,-a dissiculty not easy to explain aWay ;yet when we proceed to examine the dedication to the Abbess Jeanne de To elle, of the Convent of St. Peter at LyonS,V of whose existence nosatisfactory evidence can be found, the suspicion os a willat mysterybecomes very Strong; and the nexi Potnt to be considered is, whether there Was any necessity sor mystification os that hind. The directly personal as weli as satirical nature os some of the designfat once suggesis a sussicient clue to the destrability os concealing their authorship. It is true that the nature of the satire is only os that sorm whichhad developed iiseis in some of the very earliest versions of the V Legend of St. Μacarius, V such as introducing the seatures of well-known Sovereigns and princes as those os the victims. But times had altered ; fovereims were hecome more sensitive and more despotic, while the hiis administered in thistast version were more Potnted, personal, and political than heretosore. There
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is es cialty an attempt to elevate the character of the Imperiat court at theexpense of that os France. For instance, in the device of the Emperor swhich, as usual, is the Emperor os Germany , Maximilian Ι. is evidently represented, and he is seen in the aci os administering justice ; while in the device of the Κing sas usual, the French Κingi, Francis I. is as evidently intended, and his royal pursuits are indicated as being more especialty those of the banqueti te and iis associaled dissipations, Dom which he is about to be summoned by the skeleton, who filis to him a bowl os wine os truly regat magnitude. Analogous distinctions are made belween the Empress and Queen, and there are other Strohes os direct and biling satire equialy lihely to bring clown reges Vengeance hom a fovereign who had banished the illustrious printer, Robert EStienne, stom the sod of France under the pressure of
These, then, are sussicient reasons, it should seem, Why the authorship os these pasquinades of the pencit Sliould have been concealed, and the hestmode os concealmeiat was stating that the artist was dead. Ι shali there re sume that, with two exceptions, these designs are the genuine Hork of Hans Holbein, the stamp os whose peculiar genius and manner theyindubit ly bear; sor surely, is any other artist os the time had possessed the genius to execute them, his name would not have remained ulterly unknown to posterity. This neW version of the Dance of Death, now generalty admitted to be a Holbein version, though not quite so extensive M to the number os devices relating to the main subjeci, is yettar more complete in iis generat scope than any of the preceding ones. We are, in ieed, made to hegin at the beginning, and are introducta to manhelare his disobedience subjected him to the dominion of his inevitable destroyer. The first device of the Holbein series represenis the Creation, and more eSpecialty the creation os Eve, as one os the instruments of the temptation, which led to the doom of death ; the second subject bein the scene os the actuat temptation. The third is the Expulsion, when Deathfirst appeam in the background ; and the sourin, Adam condemned to tili theearth, with Death at his fide. Νext comes Hothein's amplification of the Basle subject of two Deaths leaving the chamel-house, and with whicli theedition os I 542 commences, omitting the Mur first devices. This subjeci,as trealed by Holbein, has been termed the Orchestra os Death ; V andit may be observed here that so various are the musical instruments introduced into this lanereat orchestra that Μ. Κestner has published a specialwork upon the subjeci, in which he enumerates and describes eighteendistinct kinds. Aster Deathys Orchestra, V somelimes called the Triumphos Death, V as trans med into a procession in later soms os treaiment, comes the firsi subject os the actuat series whicli consists of thirty- ur successive devices representing Death in the act os summoning to his data cemen os every sociat grade. Then solioWS a composition representing the Last Iud ent, and then a symbolicat tali-piece. Only thirty-sour devices, it is seen, are devoted to the actuat series, including both men and women, while in the early editions os Gur Μarchant there are sorty subjecis in the Danse Μambre des Hommes,' without counting those of the UDanse
v In the Cologne edition of this version, published aster the death of Francis, theportrait os Henry II. is Rubstituted.
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Μac re des Femmes, V whicli in the Grande Danse Macabre V were Published as a separate series in the fame volume. But the judicious selection os the most characteristic subjecis, and the fertilily of inventionand artistic power With whicli they have been enriched and generalty trealed, more than compensate sor the absence of some of the less suggestive subjects of the older editions. It has been observed that Holbein has, in imo instances, copied the altitude of his figure os Death hom the Basle series,-the fimi in plate II, where Death appeam M a jester, and the second in plate 33, Where he is beati ng the drum besore the newly-married couple. But these figures in the Basle patiatings may, on the contra , have been copied stom Hotheinat the time os some of the restorations ; and even is Holbein's devices bereatly taken from those at Basle, his treaiment is so superior as to mahe them
his own ; sor it is to be especialty observed that he entirely discarded therepulsive figure os the decaying body as impersonating the idea os Death, and adopted the persect sheleton as his image, thus gaining in the directionos the picturesque at the fame time that he abandoned the more grOSSand repulsive forins adopted by his mediaevat predecessore. Μ. ΚeStner, in his excellent treatise, has erroneousty staten that in the Danses
Macabres V Death is nearly always represented br a body entirely Strippedos flesti a true sheleton sau corps entihrement depouillh de ses chaim, uneVέritabie squelette ; but this is not so, as proved by Guy Marchant's fini edition, now hesore me, and the early editions issued at I Fons and Troyes. It was not, in laci, tili Hothein trealed the subjeci that the pure Aheleton was introduced. The decaying body was the grosser image adopted by the artisis of the middie ages ; the sheleton, the more refined symbol devised by those of the Renaissance. In the early French books os si rinted Hours 'the frontispiece of the anatomicat man was at first simply a repulsive deadbody, lihe the mediaevat image of Death; but in the later editions os the Ηours, ' issued by Simon Vostre in I 5o7, the figure is made a pureskeleton, showing the generat art tendency os the period. The fimi and the last subjecis in Holbein's series-namely, the Creationand the Last Judment appear to present some disserences of style, Whichrender it possibie that they may be the work of another hand. Are the , then, it may be asked. the work of the artist who had commenced the illustration of the work before it was talien up by Holbein Τ Ιs the first subject be caresulty examined, it may perhaps suggest to the critic that, not-withstanding the generat dexterity of the composition, it cloes not appear topossess that magisteries decision os oviline and that sparkling crispness os
' Holbein's Diend, Νicholas Boctonius, in a work published at Lyons in i 538, the yearin whicli the Dance of Denth' appeared, under the titie of Les Simulacres et Historisies FaceA de la Mori,' &c., pinifes two painters. Hans Vibius doubiless Holbein)and George Reperdius, as equat to Parrhasius and Zeuxis. It is possibie that he may allude to both the designer and en aver of these Wonde ut devices : or may we not here have the esue to the allusion made by the publisher to the death of his artist, who may have been Reperdius. Who had Hready commenced the work, and whose loss it was foughtto supply by the talents of Ηol in, recommended by Borbonius' in which case thepubliAher, Weli aware of the personalty satirical character of some Os the designs, may have thought it a good idea to attribute the whole of them to the dead man. The Creationand the Last Judgment, which differ in style stom the rest of the devices, mari then have been the work os Reperdius.
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delati that especialty distinguished the works os the great Basilean artist. The trees especially, when compared to those of Hothein in the nexi subjectiare certainly weali in treaiment ; while Holbein, whose artistic comprehension os the so s and qualities os natural objects would not, it would seem, have placed the stam uson the clouds, instead os in the open spaces between them ; while remarks of Somewhat analogous character may beapplied to the device representing the Last Judment, Which, howeveri exhibiis more of the usual style os the handling of the great master. It has been conjectured, and not without good show os collateria evidence, that Μelchior and Gaspar Treschel, the publishers, were at the fame timethe engravers of this remarkable series, with the exception os the subjectmarhed with a monogram os PIL, whicli has been attributed to Lutgen-berger, the engraver of the almost equalty celebrated alphabet with the fame subjecis. In suppori os this hypothesis it is urgeo that their names Mengravers, ' Melchior et Gaspar Treschel excudebant, Lugduni, I 538, occurat the end of the Historiarum Veterum Instrumenti, ICOnes,' etc., the drawings of which were by Η olbein ; while the verses, as in theo Dance os math, ' are said to be by Gilles Corroget. In conclusion, itshould be stated that it has not been sought in any Way to improve thesome at rude of the French verses in the present translations. They have incleed a quaint sorce and simplici , whicli harmoniges welt with similar qualities in the devices themselves, and are helter, with ait their rudeness, than many of those which accompanted most of the editions os this popular subject which succeeded the issue of the Holbein editions, and of whicli a bries generat account will be Mundat the end of this volume. Μany subsequent Lyonese editions of the Simulacres et Histori hes Faces de la Μort V successively appeared; firet in I 342 f the Latin edition), the nexi being those os I 545, I 547, I 549, and 1552, SeVerat new Subjecis being Successively added. The three editions whicli succeeded the Latin one contain t etve more Subjecis, which appearto be engraved by the fame hand ; but Some os them do not strictly belongio the series in iis original so . The boys at play, sor instance, though saidio represent the latat Vices-Gluttony, etc.-have not precisely the Same significance as the original devices. In I 562 another edition appeared, with five more additionat subjecis, mali ing in ali seventeen additionaldevices ; among Which, in the true spirit os those os the fimi series, are the Sol lier, the Gamblers, the Fool, the Robber, the Blind Μan, the Waggoner, and the Berear. I have not oven sacsimiles of these, as my present illustrations are confined to sacsimiles of the devices whicli appeared in the sirit edition ; and Ι have not alluded to the other subjecis contained in the volume,such as the Μedicina Animae, Whicli are Without illustrations, and serve merely as the completion, or rather Padding, of the book, and do notcome within the scope of my preSent Pu OSe. With these observations Ι may close my bries introduction, and proceedio give Some account and explanation of each subject in succession, remarking en fassant that the present series os sacsimiles are produced by the utierring process os photo-lithography, and are therefore infinitelymore accurate reproductionS than even the best of the many clever
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Formavit DOMI MVs DEVS hominem de limo terrae,ad imagine suam creauit illum,masculum Sc lacinis
nam creauic eos. GENESIS I. o I .
De hien demonstrant se putrince Et puis de la terre creaL'hommeβ lasemme a se semblance.
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restricted space of the present design the artist has contrived to introduce an epitomeos the entire creation with great Cleuerness. The Sun, the moon, the Stars, the winds-each find their place. The beasts of the field ' are weli represented by the ox, the stag, the ass, the bear, the rabbit in hisburrow; each suli os distinctive character. The so is of the air and the fifh of the waters are not abSent ;and even the lesser Creatures,-the snail and thelitile ligard,-are notforgoiten ; whilethe main feature of the Composition- the creation of Eve during the deep Sleep of Adam-is weli Conceived, and the intonse repose of the fleeper Wonderially Weli ex
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Quia audisti vocem uxorIs tuae,& comedisti de ligno ex quo PrecePeram tabi ne comes