Hans Holbein - Le Triomphe de la Mort - 1780

The famous Death Dance sequence by Hans Holbein in the magnificent Basel edition by Christian von Mechel – a masterpiece of book and printing art from the 18th century.

Holbein, Jean (Hans Holbein the Younger) / Chrétien de Mechel. Oeuvre de Jean Holbein ou Recueil de Gravures d’après ses plus beaux ouvrages, accompagnées d’explications historiques et critiques et de la vie de ce fameux peintre. Première Partie: Le Triomphe de la Mort. Erste Auflage. Basel (A Basle, chez l’auteur), 1780. With engraved frontispiece, 14 engraved plates with a total of 49 depictions after Holbein and two engraved end vignettes. Newly made high-quality half-leather binding with marbled covers and gold-pressed spine emblem; the plates professionally mounted on linen fold and rebound, LARGE FOLIO 40 x 32 cm.
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The Holbein edition edited by Christian von Mechel ranks among the most significant reproductions of the works of Hans Holbein the Younger in the 18th century. The Basel copperplate engraver and publisher aimed to make the famous creations of the Renaissance master accessible to an international art–minded audience in technically the highest quality. The present first part is dedicated to the famous “Triomphe de la Mort,” Holbein’s Death Dance, one of the most impressive sequences in the history of European art.

Holbein’s Death Dance is one of the great icons of the Renaissance. In finely composed scenes, Death appears as an inexorable companion to all people, regardless of rank, wealth, or status. Emperor, king, Pope, queen, merchant, peasant, or pilgrim – none escapes the transience. The moral message is combined with extraordinary narrative power and a still-fascinating visual language. Mechel reproduced the famous compositions with great precision and complemented them with extensive art-historical and iconographic explanations as well as a biography of Holbein.

Of particular note are the additionally included representations of the Triumph of Wealth and the Triumph of Poverty, which broaden the philosophical content of the work and underscore its humanistic core idea. The large-format copperplate engravings are characterized by exceptional clarity and fine execution, making this edition one of the finest prints on Holbein’s work. To this day, it remains among the most sought-after editions for collectors of Death Dance representations, Renaissance graphics, and photohistorical prestige volumes.
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Paper aging unevenly with some browning and targeted foxing, individual leaves somewhat more affected; occasional minor edge losses and signs of use. Overall an attractive and, due to the elaborate rebinding, highly representative copy."}