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The Pope
Scharffenberg, Georg, 1842, Engraving
The Pope
The Pope
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About this image
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Location
Category
Library Item
Item no
28458
Title
The Pope
Description
A depiction of the Pope being carried in procession by numerous skeletal figures who together represent Death. The skeletons are disguised; the one on the right wears a cardinal's hat, the one on the left is dressed as a bishop, and the one by the papal litter is a soldier. That the skeletons are disguised refers to the unknowable and unpredictable nature of Death. The pope is blind to his fate; he can't see how close he is to Death. Although he has power the Pope is not immune to Death; on the contrary, he is subject to it like everyone else.
Artist / maker
Scharffenberg, Georg
Date
1842
Size
11.7 x 8.3 cm
Type
Engraving
Location
Art and Design Library
Georg Scharffenberg's Dance of Death woodcuts were originally published in 1588. They were marketed by the publisher, Huldrich Frölich, as a copy of one of the most famous Dance of Death murals in Basel, but were in fact mostly based on Hans Holbein the Younger's Dance of Death instead. In 1715 Scharffenberg's cuts came into the possession of the Mechel family of Basel, who published them for many years after. This particular image is from an edition of 1842, which is part of Central Library's Dance of Death Collection.
Exhibitions with this item
An introduction to the Dance of Death
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Clothing and dress
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Headdresses
Furnishings
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Furniture
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Chairs
People
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Body parts
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Skeletons
People
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Religion
>
Clergy
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