Auch ein Todtentanz aus dem Jahre 1848 [Yet another Dance of Death from the Year 1848]
Printmaker:
Unknown
Publisher:
Wigand, Georg
Draughtsman:
Rethel, Alfred
(After)
Erstes Blatt.' [Plate One], printed at upper centre. Untinted wood-engraving on white wove paper. An allegorical scene in which Death, represented as a human skeleton, can be seen climbing out of an open grave on the left, a cross broken and discarded in the foreground. He is assisted by representations of five Vices. The central female figure with a snake around her neck is Cunning, who hands Death a sword stolen from Justice, who sits bound and blindfolded in the background to the right. Vanity holds a mirror up to Death and wears a skirt decorated with the eyes of the peacock feather. She places a hat with a cockerel feather upon the head of Death, which has been identified as referencing the hat worn by Friedrich Hecker, the leader of the Baden uprising of April 1848 (See Boime, 1991, p. 578, n.5). Falsehood wears a mask and cloak on the far right and points to the captive Justice whose scales she holds in her left hand. Bloodthirstiness, a hooded figure holding a scythe in the background on the left stands beside Madness, whose horse champs and tosses its head in a frenzied manner. The horse accompanies Death throughout the series and Madness holds the riding boots with spurs (another reference to Hecker) which are worn by Death in all but the final scene. Four verses composed by poet Robert Reinick arranged below the image begin with a reference to the slogan of the French Republic, which had its origins in the Revolution of 1789: 'Freiheit, Gleichheit und Brudersinn!' [Liberty, Equality and Fraternity!]. Inscription in graphite at lower left: '1025'.
Given by an anonymous donor through the American Friends of Cambridge University (A.F.C.U.), 1996
Method of acquisition: Given (1996) by Anonymous donor through the American Friends of Cambridge University (A.F.C.U.)
19th Century
Production date:
AD 1849
Height 292mm x width 413mm
Accession number: P.151-1996.f3r
Primary reference Number: 225382
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Auch ein Todtentanz aus dem Jahre 1848 [Yet another Dance of Death from the Year 1848]" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/225382 Accessed: 2024-05-10 22:06:51
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/225382
|title=Auch ein Todtentanz aus dem Jahre 1848 [Yet another Dance of Death from the Year 1848]
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-05-10 22:06:51|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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