The Duke, from The Dance of Death

Art Historical Context

Created around 1526 published in 1538, *The Duke* belongs to Hans Holbein the Younger’s renowned series *The Dance of Death*. Designed by Holbein, a leading of the Northern Renaissance, and cut into wood by Hans Lützelburger, the small print captures death as a skeletal figure confronting a nobleman. The woodcut medium, prized for its sharp lines and capacity for wide distribution, made the series accessible to a broad audience during the Reformation era. The theme draws on medieval traditions that gained renewed urgency amid recurring plagues and social upheaval. By showing death claiming in...