Danse Macabre (Notke)

Danse Macabre
Artist Bernt Notke
Year 1633 (1633)
Medium oil on canvas
Dimensions 157 cm × 210 cm (62 in × 83 in)
Location St Nicholas' Church, Tallinn

Danse Macabre is a painting by Bernt Notke. The initial fragment of the original 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide painting (executed at the end of the 15th century) has been preserved and is currently displayed in St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn.[1][2]

Analysis

The Dance of Death theme is often encountered in late medieval art and literature. One impetus for this was the Black Death that ravaged Europe in the middle of the 14th century. Skeletal figures personifying Death dance alternately to mortals, as a memento mori (reminder of earthly perishability). Mortals are ranked in a hierarchy, starting with the world's mighty – pope and emperors – and ending with the peasants, the fool or the infant.[3]

Bernt Notke painted this work at the end of the 15th century, and it is the author's repetition a Dance of Death in St. Mary's Church, Lübeck. Two of completion of the work between several decades. Lübeck version has not survived. In 1701, as the painting deteriorated, the painter Anton Wortmann made a copy of it. A copy was destroyed in the fire at 1942 St. Mary's Church. This was the 49 figure, the dance began flute blowing with death and ended an infant. Tallinn paintings are preserved only in the beginning of the piece 13 of figure. It is unknown how many figure the painting originally had, how long it was, and who ordered it. As the work of the church of St. Nicholas book of accounts (1465–1520) did not mention it, it can be assumed that it was donated by a few wealthy private individuals, a guild or brotherhood.[3]

Lübeck artist Bernt Notke's The Dance of Death located in the chapel of St. Anthony Church of St. Nicholas. It is likely that the painting was purchased originally for the chapel. The Chapel was rebuilt in 1486-1493 wider, and it can be assumed that the "Dance of Death" after re-commissioning of Luebeck construction.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "The Dance of Death in Tallinn". Dodedans.com. 1944-03-09. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  2. ↑ "Danse Macabre | Bernt Notke - Europeana". Europeana.eu. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  3. 1 2 3 Anu Mänd, Bernt Notke. Uuenduste ja traditsioonide vahel, näituse kataloog, Eesti Kunstimuuseum, 2010
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