Emblems of Mortality; Representing, by Numerous Engravings, Death: Seizing All Ranks and Conditions of People; Imitated From a Painting in the ... at Basil, in Switzerland (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Hans Holbein

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0331392283 ISBN 13: 9780331392289

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Discover a rare window into history’s view of death and virtue across society.

This illustrated collection, titled Emblems of Mortality; Representing Death Seizing All Ranks and Conditions of People, presents a series of engravings that depict how mortality touched people from monarchs to the humble beggar. Accompanying descriptions explain the scenes and their scriptural or moral underpinnings, offering both historical context and a reflective look at life’s fragility.

The book compiles engravings that show how Death is portrayed among the powerful and the poor, and how each image carries a lesson about finitude, morality, and fate. It reads like a guided tour through four centuries of costume, ceremony, and social hierarchy, with notes that help modern readers understand the imagery and its era.

• What you’ll experience:
• A historical sequence of emblematic scenes, from popes and emperors to monks, merchants, and common folk.
• Short explanations and verses that illuminate the moral and religious messages of each engraving.
• Insights into how artists depicted Death and the afterlife, with notes on context and symbolism.
• A window into 19th-century publishing practices and the way mortality was taught and remembered.

Ideal for readers interested in art history, iconography, and how past societies personified mortality. If you enjoy historical prints and brief interpretive commentary, this edition offers a compact, accessible experience of a distinct genre.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0331392283
• ISBN 13: 9780331392289
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 110