The Dance of Death after Holbein
The Dance of Death as an artistic genre has remained popular through time. Subsequent editions of Holbein’s woodcuts added new figures, some produced in a similar style. Artists following Holbein occasionally varied the number of characters and their specific types but standard images remained constant, such as the king, pope, queen, abbot, old woman, and pauper. Books published in later eras, however, often revised the figures to reflect contemporary society and dress. From Holbein’s time to the present, death and its meaning have remained matters of personal and community reflection, contributing to the continuing fascination of artists and audiences alike with the Dance of Death.