The Dance of Death.

7*

his edition of Erasmus's Moriae encomion, he likewisementions the painting on a house in the Eisengassen, orIron-street, near the Rhine bridge, and for which he is saidto have received forty florins, 4 perhaps the same as thatmentioned in his Travels,

This painting was still remaining in the year 1730, whenMr. Breval saw it, and described it as a dance of boors, butin his opinion unworthy, as well as the Dance of Deathin that city, of Holbein's hand. 5 These accounts of thepaintings on houses are very obscure and contradictory,and the only way to reconcile them is by concluding thatHolbein might have decorated the walls of some houseswith a Dance of Death, and of others with a dance ofpeasants. 6 The latter subject would indeed be very muchto the taste of an innkeeper, and the nature of his occupa-tion. Some of the writers on engraving have manifestedtheir usual inaccuracy on the subject of Holbein's Danceof Peasants. Joubert says it has been engraved, but thatit is " a peu pres introuvable." 7 Huber likewise makesthem extremely rare, and adds, without the slightestauthority, that Holbein engraved them. 8 There is, how-ever, no doubt that his beautiful pencil was employed onthis subject in various ways, of which the following specimensare worthy of being recorded. 1. In a set of initial lettersfrequently used in books printed at Basle and elsewhere.2. In an edition of Plutarch's works, printed by Cratanderat Basle, 1530, folio, and afterwards introduced into PolydoreVergil's " Anglican historic libri viginti sex," printed at Basle,1540, in folio, where, on p. 3 at bottom, the subject is veryelegantly treated. It occurs, also, in other books printed inthe same city. 3. In an edition of the " Nugae " of NicolasBorbonius, Basle, 1540, i2mo. at p. 17, there is a dance ofpeasants replete with humour : and, 4. A vignette in thenrst page of an edition of Apicius, printed at Basle, 1541,4to. without the printer's name.

After all, there seems to be a fatality of ambiguity in the

4 See likewise Zuinger, Methodus Academica, Basle, 1577, 4 to « P- T 99-

Remarks on several parts of Europe, 1738, vol. ii. p. 72.

Peignot

places the dance of peasants in the fish-market of Basle, as other writershad the Dance of Death. Rechercheg, p. 15. 7 Manuel de l'Amateurd'estampes, ii. 131. 8 Manuel des curieux, &c. i. 156.