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Title

The

Dance of Death

by Hans Holbein, with an

Introductory note by

Austin Dobson

[Later Edition – Zaehnsdorf Fine Full Leather Binding]

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Author

Hans Holbein

Austin Dobson

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Year of Publication

1898

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Publisher

London: George Bell and Sons.

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For full description see below - after all photographs

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Description:

London: George Bell and Sons, 1898, Later Edition.

A beautifully bound small volume by Zaehnsdorf with gilt and blind tooled boards and spine, mild rubbing to the joints, inner gilt dentelles, the binder’s stamp in gilt to the base of the front of the front paste down, pages tanned with some foxing. With 43 pages of text in English followed by 41 plates which were present in the first edition followed by another 7 plates ‘Added in Later Editions’.

The Dance of Death was composed by Hans Holbein the Younger between 1523 and 1525; the woodcuts were eventually collected in book form in 1538 by the Trechsel brothers, who had hitherto specialised in expensive works in Latin – so there was already a precedent, of considerable vintage, for this book of illustrations to be released by a publisher of classic texts.

Renowned for his Dance of Death series, the famous designs by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) were drawn in 1526 while he was in Basel. They were cut in wood by the accomplished Formschneider (block cutter) Hans Lützelburger.

William Ivins (quoting W. J. Linton) writes of Lützelburger's work wrote:

"'Nothing indeed, by knife or by graver, is of higher quality than this man's doing.' For by common acclaim the originals are technically the most marvelous woodcuts ever made."

These woodcuts soon appeared in proofs with titles in German. The first book edition, containing forty-one woodcuts, was published at Lyons by the Treschsel brothers in 1538. The popularity of the work, and the currency of its message, are underscored by the fact that there were eleven editions before 1562, and over the sixteenth century perhaps as many as a hundred unauthorized editions and imitations. Ten further designs were added in later editions.

Pagination: 43pp, with a copy of the 1538 title page, followed by  XLIX plates. 

Provenance: bookplate for W. Forbes Morgan (Mayfair) to the front paste down.

Approximately 4 ¾ inches tall (12cm).

 

Condition Report

Externally

• Spine – very good condition – gilt titles and gilt and blind tooled decorations to the spine with raised bands, minor wear, marks and scratches.
• Joints – very good condition – gently rubbed and worn with some loss of colour.
• Corners – very good condition – gently worn.
• Boards – very good condition – full leather with gilt and blind tooling to the boards, minor marks and scratches.
• Page edges – good condition – all edges gilt, top edge faded and dust darkened.
• See above and photos.

Internally

• Hinges – very good condition – sound.
• Paste downs – very good condition – marbled, gilt tooling to the leather turn-ins, bookplate.
• End papers – good condition – marbled, subsequent papers tanned.
• Title – good condition – tanned.
• Pages – good condition – tanned with some foxing.
• Binding – very good condition – attractive.
• See photos.

Publisher: see above.
Publication Date: 1898
Binding: Hardback

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Ruler in picture is 6 inches long.

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