The Pope

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.

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Related images

Related subjects

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Headdresses

Furnishings > Furniture > Chairs

People > Body parts > Skeletons

People > Religion > Clergy

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