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The dance of death : in a series of engravings on wood from designs attributed to Hans Holbein ; with a treatise on the subject
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The Dance of Death.

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is a wood-cut of a garden, in which two men and twowomen are feasting at a table. They are interrupted bythe unexpected appearance of Death, who forcibly seizesone of the party, whilst the rest make their escape.

In the " Mortilogus " of Conrad Reitter, Prior of Nord-lingen, printed at Augsburg by Erhard Oglin and Geo.Nadler, 1508, 4to. there is a wood-cut of Death in a church-yard, holding a spade with one hand, and with the othershowing his hour-glass to a young soldier ; and another ofDeath shooting an arrow at a flying man.

In " Heures a l'usaige de Sens," printed at Paris by Jeande Brie, 1512, 8vo. the month of December in the calendaris figured by Death pulling an old man towards a grave ;a subject which is, perhaps, nowhere else to be found as arepresentation of that month. It is certainly appropriate,as being at once the symbol of the termination of the yearand of man's life.

In the " Chevalier de la Tour," printed by GuillaumeEustace, Paris, 1514, folio, theie is an allegorical cut, veryfinely engraved on wood, at fo. xxii. nearly filling the page.The subject is the expulsion of Adam and Eve fromParadise, the gate of which exhibits a regular entrance, withround towers and portcullis. Behind this gate is seen theforbidden tree, at the bottom of which is the Devil, seem-ingly rejoicing at the expulsion, with an apple in his hand.Near the gate stands the angel with his sword, and a crosson his head. Between him and the parties expelled is apicturesque figure of Death with a scythe ready for action.

" Horae ad usum Romanum," printed for Geoffrey Toryof Tours, 1525. Before the " Vigiliae Mortuorum " is a wood-cut of a winged Death holding a clock in one hand; withthe other he strikes to the ground and tramples on severalmen and women. Near him is a tree with a crow utteringcras cras. In another edition, dated 1527, is a differentcut of a crowned figure of Death mounted on a black muleand holding a scythe and hour-glass. He is trampling onseveral dead bodies, and is preceded by another Death,armed also with a scythe, whilst a third behind strikes themule, who stops to devour one of the prostrate figures.Above is a crow.

In a beautiful "Officium Virg." printed at Venice, 1525,