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HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER
THE DANCE OF DEATH
Chiswick Press, 1892
Number 26 of 100 Copies on Japanese Vellum
Deluxe Large-Paper Issue • 49 Woodcuts
Original Printed Wrappers • Sir Adair Hore’s Bookplate
A desirable large-paper copy of Holbein’s celebrated Dance of Death, printed at the Chiswick Press on Japanese vellum and preserved in its original printed wrappers, with a fragile protective tissue wrapper retained.
Number 26 of only 100 numbered copies, this deluxe issue gives Holbein’s compact, intricately composed designs generous surrounding margins. The smooth Japanese paper and crisp black impressions make an especially attractive setting for this enduring work of Renaissance memento mori imagery.
Publication and Limitation
HOLBEIN, Hans. The Dance of Death. With an introductory note by Austin Dobson.
London: George Bell & Sons, 1892. Printed at the Chiswick Press by C. Whittingham and Company.
The edition comprised:
The present copy is No. 26 of the Japanese-vellum issue.
“Japanese vellum” is the paper designation used in the limitation statement: a fine Japanese paper, not animal-skin vellum.
49 Woodcuts After Holbein
The illustrations comprise the principal sequence of 41 designs, together with eight supplementary cuts introduced in later editions. A facsimile of the original Lyon title page of 1538 is also included.
The principal images are accompanied by Latin biblical passages and French quatrains traditionally attributed to Gilles Corrozet, with English subject headings.
As Austin Dobson explains in his introduction, the illustrations use the woodblocks cut by Bonner and John Byfield for Francis Douce’s 1833 edition. These are nineteenth-century engraved interpretations of Holbein’s designs.
Death in Everyday Life
Holbein’s skeletal figure of Death interrupts the activities of rulers, clergy, merchants, laborers and families. Rank and wealth offer no protection: Death enters the palace, the workshop and the home with equal freedom.
The scenes combine religious reflection with sharp social observation, exposing pride, greed and the fragility of worldly power. Their small scale rewards close examination, with gestures, expressions and incidental details carrying the drama of each encounter.
Original Wrappers
Retaining the original printed grey paper wrappers, with title lettering to the front and spine.
A delicate translucent protective tissue wrapper also survives. Its worn condition is described below and illustrated in the photographs.
The plain original covering allows the emphasis to remain on the deluxe paper, generous page proportions and woodcut printing.
Provenance
With the armorial bookplate of Sir Adair Hore, KBE.
This ownership mark adds an identifiable collecting association to the copy. It is a bookplate, not an autograph or presentation inscription.
Condition
Very Good overall, with the protective tissue wrapper substantially more worn.
The original printed wrappers remain attractive, with age-toning and minor handling wear. The outer tissue wrapper shows pronounced toning, creasing, edge wear, splits and localized losses.
The Japanese-paper leaves remain clean and attractive overall, with strong impressions and generous margins. Sir Adair Hore’s armorial bookplate is present.
Please examine all photographs as part of the condition description, particularly those showing the outer wrapper, limitation statement, bookplate and illustrated openings.
A numbered Japanese-vellum copy of Holbein’s Dance of Death, combining Chiswick Press printing, 49 woodcuts and the appeal of original printed wrappers.
