Pair of copperplate engravings from this fascinating work based upon Holbein's original 15th century designs. Wenceslaus Hollar, a Bohemian etcher, created the copper plates for the original publication in 1647. The plates then disappeared until the late 18th century, when several editions from the "newly discovered" plates began to appear. These are from an edition published by J. Coxhead. Although the traditional Dance of Death goes back to the Middle Ages, Hans Holbein altered the medieval concept to show the omnipresence and universality of death. This lot includes a scene in which a child is being taken away from his family and the other illustrates Death working alongside a man doing physical labor, with his young family in the background.

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Condition: A+