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Page Number: 39
Text: THE DANCE OF DEATH. 23 opinion, that Holbein invented the Dance of Death. But it has not only been asserted that Holbein designed, but that he engraved, or rather cut this...
Show more THE DANCE OF DEATH. 23 opinion, that Holbein invented the Dance of Death. But it has not only been asserted that Holbein designed, but that he engraved, or rather cut this Dance of Death on wood. That he practised this art, nay, that he excelled in it, there is reason to believe, from some specimens that have been preserved, and which bear on them the unequivocal marks of H. H. & HANS. HOLBEN*. A set of cuts with the latter mark occurs in Archbishop Cranmer's Catechism, printed by Walter Lyneinl548; and although the composition of these is extremely good, their execution is not only inferior to the Dance of Death, but entirely different in its manner: and the mark of IB which is to be seen upon one of the cuts in this latter work, has been ascribed without any authority to Holbein, upon the strength of the vague opinions concerning his interference with the Dance of Death f. The great popularity and success of these cuts very soon excited many imitations of them both in copper and on blocks. In 1541, Aldegrever engraved eight of them, but with very material alterations. Other editions of the Imagines Mor> * It is not however impossible that Holbein, in putting his mark upon these cuts, might only intend to shew that he designed them, or drew the subject upon the blocks. + This mark is also given by Professor Christ, in his Diction-Baire des Monogrammes, to Hans Lautensack, and Hans Le-derer, persons of whom absolutely nothing is known.
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Page Number: 40
Text: 24 THE DANCE OF DEATH. tis, which had been first published under that title in 1545, appeared in 1555, 1566, 1573, and probably at many other times; these were also accompanied with cuts in w...
Show more 24 THE DANCE OF DEATH. tis, which had been first published under that title in 1545, appeared in 1555, 1566, 1573, and probably at many other times; these were also accompanied with cuts in wood by a very eminent but unknown artist, whose mark is J This mark is also to be found in some of the Emblems of Sambucus and Lejeune, in some ini-nitial letters to Grafton's Chronicle, and in other cuts executed during the sixteenth century*. It is not a little remarkable, that so late as the year 1654, there appeared a Dutch book, printed * The inaccurate Papillon, who in matters of historical discussion is hardly ever to be trusted, has asserted in his " Traits de la gravureen bois," that this is the mark of Silvius Antonianus, or Antoniano. Having found it upon some cuts, in an edition of Faerno's fables, printed at Antwerp in 156*7, with a dedication to Cardinal Borromeo, by Silvius Antoniano, he instantly conceived that he had discovered the name of the artist in that of the author of the dedication. The fact is, that Antoniano was no engraver, but a professor of belles lettres at Rome, afterwards secretary to Pope Pius V. and at length a Cardinal. His dedication had already appeared in the first edition of these fables in 1564, which has a different set of cuts engraved on copper. Another of Papillon's, blunders is equally curious. He had seen an edition of the Emblems of Sambucus with cuts, on which the same mark occurs. In this book is a fine portrait of the author, with his dog, under whom is the word BOM BO, which Papillon gravely informs us is the name of the engraver, and again refers to it on another cut of one of the Emblems under a dog also. Had he read the verses belonging to this particular Emblem, he would have immediately seen that it was nothing more than the dog's name, as Sambucus himself declares, whilst he pays a laudable tribute to the attachment of the faithful com* panion of his travels.
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Page Number: 41
Text: THE DANCE OF DEATH. 25 at Antwerp, where this artist worked, entitled, cc Doodt vermaskert, or Death masked/' accompanied with eighteen cuts of the Dance of Death, which in the ...
Show more THE DANCE OF DEATH. 25 at Antwerp, where this artist worked, entitled, cc Doodt vermaskert, or Death masked/' accompanied with eighteen cuts of the Dance of Death, which in the title page are ascribed to Holbein. They are all, except three, impressions from the identical blocks of the beautiful and original cuts of this subject; but the above-mentioned artist has had the effrontery to put his mark, together with the figure of a graving tool or knife, upon several of them. It is, however, possible that he might have repaired them, as some of the smaller lines, which in former impressions seem to have been injured, are here much stronger. It might be tedious to describe all the imitations of the Dance of Death which have appeared at different times, as they are exceedingly numerous; but it would be unpardonable not to notice an alphabet of initial letters with this subject, which for humour, and excellence of design, are even superior to the celebrated one ; and with respect to execution, especially when their minuteness is considered, being less than an inch square, absolutely wonderful. Their composition is entirely different from that of any of the others, and one of them is extremely indecent. They appear to have been done at Basil; for in the public library there is preserved a sheet, whereon arc printed three alphabets, viz. the one above-mentioned, another of boys at play, and the third, a dance of peasants, &c. The designs of some of the last are the same as those in a similar Dance
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Page Number: 42
Text: 26 THE DANCE OF DEATH. by Holbein, formerly painted on a house at Basil, and of which some drawings are still preserved ; and it is therefore not improbable that he also designed...
Show more 26 THE DANCE OF DEATH. by Holbein, formerly painted on a house at Basil, and of which some drawings are still preserved ; and it is therefore not improbable that he also designed the Dance of Death for these initials. They have apparently been struck off as proofs or patterns for some bookseller*, and at the bottom of the sheet is the mark ILwith the words tc Hans Liitzelburger Formschneider, (/. e. block-cutter), in Basel." In this manner has been preserved the name of a most exquisite artist, whom, from the similarity of style and subject, there is every reason to suppose the person who executed the fine cuts of the first Dance of Death. As he worked after the designs of Holbein, it is also probable that the painter might have invented some of the seventeen subjects which appeared in continuation of the original work, and that Liitzelburger also cut them for the subsequent editions. From the extreme delicacy with which the initials with the Dance of Death are executed, there is reason to suppose that they were not cut upon blocks of wood, but of metal, as was probably the larger work of the same subject; and in support of this conjecture it may be observed, that blocks of this kind are still preserved in the cabinets of the curious. * They were actually used by Cratander, a printer at Basil; and other initial letters, with Dances of Death, are to be seen in books printed at Zurich, Strasburg, and Vienna, in the sixteenth century. All the alphabets are in the possession of the ompiler of this essay, but they have not the monogram.
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Page Number: 43
Text: THE DANCE OF DEATFL 27 In 1780, Chretien de Mechel, a well-known artist and printseller at Basil, published forty-five engravings of a Death's Dance, as part of the works o...
Show more THE DANCE OF DEATFL 27 In 1780, Chretien de Mechel, a well-known artist and printseller at Basil, published forty-five engravings of a Death's Dance, as part of the works of Holbein, of which he intends to give a series. Mr. Coxe, in his travels, has given some account of this work, and informs us that they are done after some small drawings by Holbein, sketched with a pen, and slightly shaded with Indian ink ; that these drawings were purchased by Mr. Fleichman, of Strasburg, at Cro-zat's sale at Paris, and are now in the collection of Prince Gallitzin, Minister from the Empress of Russia to the court of Vienna, at which last place he had frequent opportunities of seeing and admiring them. He further adds, that Hollar copied these drawings, an opinion which will admit of some doubt. Mons. De MecheFs remark, that from the dresses and character of several of the figures, it is probable the drawings were sketched in England, as well as Mr. Coxe's conjecture that they were in the Arundelian collection, will appear but slightly founded to any one conversant in the dresses of the French and German nations at that period, to which they bear at least an equal resemblance: again, one of the cuts represents a King sitting at table under a canopy, powdered with Fleurs de lis, whose figure has a remarkable affinity to the portraits of Francis I. If these drawings were copied from the celebrated wooden cuts, they must have
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The Wenceslaus Hollar Collection

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