The Emperor

Category

Library Item

Item no

28465

Title

The Emperor

Description

The emperor administers justice between two men, one kneeling, and one on his right. The throne on which he sits and the sword he holds are both signs of imperial power. The shortened sword, or Cortana, could also be a symbol of mercy. On the floor before the throne are more trappings of status: the orb and sceptre. Beside these is Death's hourglass. Together these objects serve as a reminder that earthly power does not equate to immortality. The depiction of Death reinforces this point; the skeleton looms behind the emperor, ready to snatch his crown when his time is up.

Artist / maker

Hollar, Wenceslaus

Date

1794

Size

7.8 x 5.5 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Art and Design Library

Wenceslaus Hollar's Dance of Death series was first published in 1651. The prints were initially successful, but became unfashionable in the following century. However, they were revived in the 1780s by Basel's publishing family, the Mechels; from then onwards Hollar's engravings were reprinted in a number of different editions. This image is from a 1794 edition, which was edited and introduced by the academic and Dance of Death expert, Francis Douce; it is part of Central Library's Dance of Death Collection.
Hollar's engravings were supposedly based on Hans Holbein the Younger's Dance of Death; this is why many of the prints bear the initials 'HB.i.' ('Holbein designed this') as well as W.H. (Wenceslaus Hollar). In spite of this, most of Hollar's engravings are not in fact copies of Holbein's original cuts but rather copies of another Dance based on Holbein's, that of an artist named Arnold Birckmann.

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Related images

Related subjects

Furnishings > Furniture > Chairs

Furnishings > Ornamentation > Curtains

People > Body parts > Skeletons

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