Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Danse Macabre (Notke)

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Year
  
1633 (1633)

Artist
  
Medium
  
oil on canvas

Created
  
1633

Danse Macabre (Notke) g3nheeimagespixfile2971284surmatantsjpg

Dimensions
  
157 cm × 210 cm (62 in × 83 in)

Location
  
St Nicholas' Church, Tallinn

People also search for
  
Danza macabra di Lubecca

Danse macabre saint sa ns mario paint


Danse Macabre is a painting by Bernt Notke. The initial fragment of the original 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide painting (executed at the end of the 15th century) has been preserved and is currently displayed in St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn.

Contents

Herb weidner danse macabre


Analysis

The Dance of Death theme is often encountered in late medieval art and literature. One impetus for this was the Black Death that ravaged Europe in the middle of the 14th century. Skeletal figures personifying Death dance alternately to mortals, as a memento mori (reminder of earthly perishability). Mortals are ranked in a hierarchy, starting with the world's mighty – pope and emperors – and ending with the peasants, the fool or the hällilapsega.

Bernt Notke painted this work at the end of the 15th century, and it is the author's repetition a Dance of Death in St. Mary's Church, Lübeck. Two of completion of the work between several aastakümment. Lübeck version has not survived. In 1701, the year was carried out in poor condition, the painter Anton Wortmann's copy. A copy was destroyed in the fire at 1942 St. Mary's Church. This was the 49 figure, the dance began flute blowing with death and ended hällilapsega. Tallinn paintings are preserved only in the beginning of the piece 13 of figure. It is unknown how many figure painting originally was, how long it was, and who ordered it. As the work of the church of St. Nicholas book of accounts (1465–1520) did not mention it, it can be assumed that it was donated by a few wealthy private individuals, a guild or brotherhood.

Lübeck artist Bernt Notke's The Dance of Death located in the chapel of St. Anthony Church of St. Nicholas. It is likely that the painting was purchased originally for the chapel. The Chapel were rebuilt in 1486-1493 wider, and it can be assumed that the "Dance of Death" after re-commissioning of Luebeck construction.

References

Danse Macabre (Notke) Wikipedia