The Dance of Death: The Preacher; The Priest

1526

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Religious Kneeling

Dominant colour

The Dance of Death: The Preacher; The Priest is a 1526 by Hans Holbein the Younger, a Renaissance work, depicting Kneeling, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Hans Holbein the Younger
When & what style?: 1526 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

A skeleton stands behind a preacher in black robes. The preacher reads from an open book while the skeleton grips his shoulder. Death’s grin shows no malice—just a quiet nudge. This is one of Holbein’s Dance of Death woodcuts turned into paint. The skeleton isn’t scary. It’s just there, like an uninvited guest who won’t leave. The preacher keeps reading anyway. Check out another Death scene by the same artist, Hans Holbein the Younger (German, active England and Switzerland, 1497/98–1543).