"Dance of Death" Canvas

This painting is one of our rarest and most significative findings, which is why we invested so much time and effort in its restoration. The Dance of Death talks about the all-conquering and equalizing power of death, and does so with typical medieval humor. Here Death dances with the living, arranged in order of their ranks, from emperor to pope, cardinal, lawyer, clerk, peasant... and even jester. The skeleton tries to be polite and fun, but behind its nice ways there is the essential idea of the inevitability and impartiality of death: in fact, while dancing, it is escorting each one to their destination. This double reading makes the Dance incredibly fascinating and unique.

The earliest known example of the Dance of Death is a series of mural paintings (now destroyed) on the walls of the cemetery of the Holy Innocents in Paris, dating 1425. Then, in the early 1500's, famous artist Hans Holbein produces a series of incredible woodcuts of the Dance - only that in his illustrations Death is no longer so nice. It is especially spiteful towards the powerful and mighty, like when it drags a duchess by the feet out of her rich bed, or it sneaks up behind a corrupted judge. However, in all these versions of the Dance, one could only see the episodes one at a time. It's in the seventeenth century that painters finally create versions with all the episodes together in one painting, especially because they are mostly commissioned by friars for their sacristies. This painting is one of those rare examples that survived to this day.

We undertook a minute restoration that included: realignment of the canvas that was deformed probably by humidity; replacement of the background where the paint was flaked and cracked beyond recovery; reconstruction of missing patches; and color correction to bring back the original tones, since time has a tarnishing effect on most artworks.

These canvases feature gallery quality prints, with vibrant artwork that is built to last. They are folded around a museum-grade thick but lightweight frame to give them a gorgeous, gallery ready appearance. Printed with acid free ink, they also features a scratch-resistant UV coating that will make these canvases last without fading or chipping. The canvases come assembled and ready to hang.

All canvas prints are wrapped and shipped in fitted packaging, engineered to prevent damages and dents during transportation.

Features:

• Ready To Hang
• Frame Thickness: 1.25 inch
• Materials: Poly-cotton artist grade canvas, hardwood fiberboard frame
• Acid free ink and scratch-resistant UV coating
• Wipes clean easily with a damp cloth or to remove dust, vacuum gently using a soft brush attachment

Production and Shipping:

- Prints In/Ships From: USA (ships worldwide)
- For Canada, Mexico and UK: local fulfillment for domestic customers
- This product is made-to-order, consistently with our environmental pledge
- Estimated production time is 3-6 business days during regular season (increased processing time during peak season)