The Dance of Death 3

Gerhard Altzenbach (17th century) 

Johann Elias Ridinger (18th century) 

Anonymous German (18th century) 

Paulus Furst (17th century) 

Johann Peter Wolff (18th century) 

These are a selection of German broadsides depicting the Dance of Death, and they all work from a common pattern. 

In the center, nine women of different social classes dance with the dead, flanked by portrayals of the Fall, the Crucifixion, Heaven, and Hell. 

They are in turn surrounded by twelve further scenes of men dancing with the dead, including a pope, an emperor, and a fool.