Synopsis
The Dance of Death, also called Danse Macabre (from the French language), is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one’s station in life, the Dance of Death unites all. The Danse Macabre consists of the dead or personified Death summoning representatives from all walks of life to dance along to the grave, typically with a pope, emperor, king, child, and labourer. They were produced as mementos mori, to remind people of the fragility of their lives and how vain were the glories of earthly life. Our Museum book are a fine reproduction of a complete engraved title-page and 44 engravings in the text (complete with the 2 full-page plates “Memento mori” and the transformation portrait showing the death of Dives), all finely colored in a contemporary hand. From a XVII century edition Published by Matthäus Merian the Elder. A work preserving a visual record of the famous Basel wall-paintings depicting a Dance of Death cycle. Dating from the 15th century, they had undergone restoration in the 16th and early-17th centuries. Merian added the “Memento mori” plate as well as the famous final “puzzle” engraving which can be viewed from two directions. Our book presents all the text of the plates in English, French and Italian language.
About the Author
Matthäus Merian der Ältere (or “Matthew”, “the Elder”, or “Sr.”; 22 September 1593 – 19 June 1650), was a Swiss-born engraver who worked in Frankfurt for most of his career, where he also ran a publishing house. He was a member of the patrician Basel Merian family. One of the most important draftsman and copperplate engravers and publishers of the 17th century. He first learned the glass painting craft, but soon turned to etching. It has been proved that he was Dietmar Meyer’s apprentice in Zurich from 1610, but in 1611 he was already working for the Duke of Lotharingia. From 1612 to 1615 Merian was working for the French court before he returned to Basel. After trips to Swabia, Augsburg and maybe Nuremberg, Merian began to work for Jan Theodor de Bry’s (died 1623) publishing company in Oppenheim, and later became his son in-law. Together with de Bry, Merian subsequently worked in Heidelberg for 2 years, before he returned to Basel with his family in 1620.
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