The Dance of Death: The Cardinal; The Empress

1526

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

The Dance of Death: The Cardinal; The Empress 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 painting shows a skeleton leading a cardinal and an empress in a dark dance. The skeleton holds a staff with a scythe tied to it, a classic Death symbol. The empress wears a crown and rich robes, but her face is blank with fear. Death isn’t picky. It drags both high and low in this 1526 woodcut. Holbein made many Dance of Death scenes, warning that power means nothing when the end comes. Look up this series’ next print: *The Dance of Death: The Knight*.