Der Tod als Erwurger - Erster Auftritt der Cholera auf einem Maskenball in Paris 1831 (Death the Strangler - The first outbreak of cholera at a masked ball in Paris 1831), Alfred Rethel

Artwork Overview

Alfred Rethel, Der Tod als Erwurger - Erster Auftritt der Cholera auf einem Maskenball in Paris 1831 (Death the Strangler - The first outbreak of cholera at a masked ball in Paris 1831)
Alfred Rethel, Der Tod als Erwurger - Erster Auftritt der Cholera auf einem Maskenball in Paris 1831 (Death the Strangler - The first outbreak of cholera at a masked ball in Paris 1831)
Alfred Rethel
Der Tod als Erwurger - Erster Auftritt der Cholera auf einem Maskenball in Paris 1831 (Death the Strangler - The first outbreak of cholera at a masked ball in Paris 1831)
1851
Alfred Rethel
1816–1859
Der Tod als Erwurger - Erster Auftritt der Cholera auf einem Maskenball in Paris 1831 (Death the Strangler - The first outbreak of cholera at a masked ball in Paris 1831), 1851
Where object was made: Germany
Material/technique: woodcut
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 350 x 274 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 13 3/4 x 10 13/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 468 x 359 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 18 7/16 x 14 1/8 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 25 x 20 in
Credit line: Museum purchase
Accession number: 1987.0260
Not on display
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Images

Label texts

Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body
The Dance of Death is a Medieval allegory illustrating the inevitability and equalizing power of death. The allegory portrays Death as a skeleton watching over people in their daily lives. The concept became popular in the late Middle Ages as a way to cope with the widespread loss of life caused by the Black Plague. Subsequent artistic depictions reminded people that neither social status nor wealth could overcome mortality. Death was sometimes depicted as menacing or mocking, as in Rethel’s example, where Death has crashed a masked ball and assumed center stage with a violin made of bones after claiming the lives of the elite in attendance. Other times, Death was portrayed as a watchful companion, as in Beham’s print, reminding us that we should not take the time we have for granted.
Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body
The Dance of Death is a Medieval allegory illustrating the inevitability and equalizing power of death. The allegory portrays Death as a skeleton watching over people in their daily lives. The concept became popular in the late Middle Ages as a way to cope with the widespread loss of life caused by the Black Plague. Subsequent artistic depictions reminded people that neither social status nor wealth could overcome mortality. Death was sometimes depicted as menacing or mocking, as in Rethel’s example, where Death has crashed a masked ball and assumed center stage with a violin made of bones after claiming the lives of the elite in attendance. Other times, Death was portrayed as a watchful companion, as in Beham’s print, reminding us that we should not take the time we have for granted.

Exhibitions

Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body
Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
2021
Nineteenth-Century German Prints and Drawings
Carmen Doering, curator
1989
Nineteenth Century German Print and Drawings
Carmen Doering, curator
1989