Dance of Death: The Miser

Dance of Death: The Miser by Hans Holbein the Younger, executed between 1521 and 1526, is a pivotal woodcut print illustrating his renowned series on the Danse Macabre. This series visually reinforced the theological equality of all people before mortality, serving as a powerful moral commentary that spread widely throughout sixteenth-century Europe. Younger mastered the exacting technique of the woodcut, producing extraordinarily detailed images that captured complex narrative and emotional states despite the limitations inherent in the medium. Originating in Germany, this type of easily reproducible print served a crucial educational and moralizing function during the early Reformation period.

In this particular scene, Holbein depicts the figure of the miser, caught by Death while desperately attempting to safeguard his material wealth. Death, often portrayed as an aggressive, active skeleton, violently confronts the subject, signaling that earthly treasures provide absolutely no defense against eternal judgment. Younger’s meticulous design contrasts the chaotic struggle of the doomed man with the relentless, unyielding force of mortality. The high quality and historical significance of the image ensured its continued circulation, establishing a new standard for narrative prints. This important impression of the work is preserved in the extensive print holdings of the Cleveland Museum of Art, representing a crucial moment in the history of Northern Renaissance graphic arts.