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

Comments

[smaragdmeadows.livejournal.com]

Oh these are so cool. I love when you make posts like these :)
Have you heard of the book the rainbow goblins?

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Thank you - so glad you liked. An no, I've never heard of that book - but now I'm intrigued. What is it about?

[smaragdmeadows.livejournal.com]

It's about these goblins who steal and eat color. They try to steal the color from this rainbow and it has amazing artwork. It's by Ul de Rico and it was originally in german. I'll try to get some scans or something of the book. :)

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Oooh - that soundsgreat and I'd love to see it! So please post if scans are possible.