Dance of Death: The Countess

1526

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory Visitation

Dominant colour

Dance of Death: The Countess is a 1526 by Hans Holbein the Younger, a Renaissance work, depicting Visitation, 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 a noblewoman dancing with a grinning skeleton. Her fancy dress contrasts with the bony figure’s tattered robe. The skeleton holds an hourglass, a quiet reminder that time runs out. Holbein made about 50 of these “Dance of Death” scenes. They were meant to shock people into thinking about life’s end—not just scare them. This one hangs in the Cleveland Museum of Art.