Alfred Rethel and his Dance of Death

[baleanoptera]

The excellent community told_tales is currently discussing Death and stories and legends concerning the death motif. I made this post there, and I'm now I'm pestering the rest of you with it. (and sorry for the cross-posting some of you experience)

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The German painter Alfred Rethel (1816-1859) was best known for painting images based upon German history of stories from the Old Testament, but from about 1848 he did a series of drawings with Death as a central character. His Death character was not part of a fairytale as such, but it was based on the popular image of Death as found in many legends and stories.




Alfred Rethel: Death as a Friend

Here Death is tolling the bell for the old man. Through the window the sun can is either setting or rising. You decide.


Alfred Rethel: Death as the Avenger

Apparently Rethel was inspired by an account that the celebrated poet Heinrich Heine had made of the sudden outbreak of cholera in the year 1832, at a masquerade during the carnival of Paris.
Here Death is shown among the dead musicians, playing a rather morbid violin.


Alfred Rethel: Triumph of Death

Here Death is seen riding through a besieged city. Around Death people are dying and in the background soldiers are killing the opposition. Death is wearing a laurel wreath - symbolising that in war on Death is ever truly triumphant.


Alfred Rethel: Dance of Death

Here Death is on the barricades, perhaps of the 1848 revolution. And while Death is striking a rather impressive pose the revolutionaries are dying.

Crossposted to told_tales