n8

The Dance of Dea'/h

Abbot 12. The Abbess.Priest. 15. The Physician.Emperor. 18. The King.Queen. 21. The Duchess.

13. The Preacher. 14. The

16. The Astrologer. 17. The

19. The Empress. 20. The

22. The Countess. 23. The

New-married Couple. 24. The Nun. 25. The Nobleman.26. The Knight. 27. The Gentleman. 28. The Soldier.29. The Judge. 30. The Counsellor. 31. The Advocate.32. The Merchant. 33. The Pedlar. 34. The Shipwreck.35. The Wine-carrier. 36. The Ploughman. 37. The Miser.38. The Robber. 39. The Drunkard. 40. The Gamblers.41. The Old Man. 42. The Old Woman. 43. The BlindMan. 44. The Beggar. 45. The Infant. 46. The Fool.

M. Mechel has added another print on this subject, viz.the sheath of a dagger, a design for a chaser. It is im-possible to exceed the beauty and skill that are manifestedin this fine piece of art. The figures are, a king, queen,warrior, a young woman, a monk, and an infant, all ofwhom most unwillingly accompany Death in the Dance.The despair of the king, the dejection of the queen, ac-companied by her little dog, the terror of the soldier whohears the drum of Death, the struggling of the female, thereluctance of the monk, and the sorrow of the poor infant,are depicted with equal spirit and veracity. The originaldrawing is in the public library at Basle, and ascribed toHolbein. There is a general agreement between theseengravings and the original wood-cuts. Twenty-three arereversed. In No. 13 the jaw-bone in the hand of Deathis not distinct. In No. 16 a cross is added, and in No. 17two heads.

Mr. Coxe, in his "Travels in Switzerland," has given someaccount of the drawings copied as above by M. de Mechel,in whose possession he saw them. He states that they weresketched with a pen, and slightly shaded with Indian ink.He mentions M. de Mechel's conjecture that they wereonce in the Arundel collection, and infers from thence thatthey were copied by Hollar, which, however, from what hasbeen already stated on the subject of Hollar's print of theSoldier and Death, as well as from other variations, couldnot have been the case. Mr. Coxe proceeds to say thatfour of the subjects in M. de Mechel's work are not in thedrawings, but were copied from Hollar. It were to be