Dance of Death: The Councillor

1526

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Dance of Death: The Councillor is a 1526 by Hans Holbein the Younger, a Renaissance work, 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

This woodcut shows two men in a dim, shadowy room. One stands upright, dressed in fancy robes and holding a lantern, while the other slumps against a pillar, half-dead. Above them, a skeletal figure with a crown dances, holding a branch with leaves. The walls are rough brick, and the scene looks eerie and urgent. The title calls this a "Dance of Death," meaning the skeleton is Death itself, leading people away. The fancy man is a "councillor," or a powerful official, but here he’s just as vulnerable as the poor man beside him. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how artists like this used light and dark to create drama.