Death Turned Pilot (from The English Dance of Death, vol. II, pl. 9)
June 1, 1815
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 3/16 x 8 11/16 in. (13.1 x 22 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher, 2012
Accession Number
2012.401.26
Tags
About this artwork
This hand-colored etching, created in June 1, 1815, represents significant artistic achievement by Thomas Rowlandson|Rudolph Ackermann, London, a British artist. The piece demonstrates the technical capabilities and aesthetic conventions of British art during this historical period. Working in hand-colored etching, the artist employed materials and techniques characteristic of the era, creating visual effects that convey both subject matter and artistic vision. Museum collections preserve such w...
Art Historical Context
"Death Turned Pilot" is vivid hand-colored etching from Thomas Rowland *The English Dance of Death (vol. II, pl. 9), published by Rudolph Ackermann in London on 1, 1815. This satirical print captures the macabre humor of the medieval "Dance of Death", reimagined for Regency-era audiences. Here, a skeletal Death takes the helm as pilot of a storm-tossed boat, surrounded by frantic men and women amid crashing waves—a witty commentary on mortality's inescapable grip, no matter one's station in life. Rowlandson, a master caricaturist renowned for his lively, exaggerated style, collaborated with A...
About the Artist
Thomas Rowlandson|Rudolph Ackermann, London · 1756–1827
Thomas Rowlandson (1757–1827) was an English artist and caricaturist whose satirical watercolors and prints captured the social life of Georgian Britain with unparalleled wit and technical mastery. Alongside James Gillray, he is recognized as one of the greatest British graphic artists, and his distinctive flowing line and keen observations have made his work integral to understanding late 18th an...