The Dance of Deathĭanse Macabre painted by Bernt Notke in 1633. Gustave Dore’s engraving of Death on a Pale Horse (1865) is a particularly famous and dramatic example. While the Bible never portrayed death as a reaper, many artists from the 15th century onward used this motif in biblical art. He has appeared in plays, songs, poetry, and romantic literature. In later tales, however, the reaper also took life himself, and victims could cheat or bargain with him.ĭeath as a reaper can be found in basically every form of art throughout Europe. He was usually portrayed as a guide who would appear at the subject’s appointed hour of death to lead them away. It was during the plague that Europe began portraying death as a skeleton wielding a scythe and wearing a black robe. Though inspirations from Greek mythology included the Titan named Kronos, and the boatman of the river Styx in the underworld named Charon.īefore its modern form was fully developed in Europe, death was usually portrayed as a corpse holding a crossbow bolt, dart, or some other weapon. The idea of death as a reaper holding a scythe for harvesting souls is a 15th-century invention. Though today he is mostly found on heavy metal album covers, he was a realistic figure of terror in the medieval world. via Today, one of the most immediately recognizable representations of death is the Grim Reaper. Death as a Reaper Of Soulsĭeath on a Pale Horse engraved by Gustave Dore in 1865. These paintings began to vividly represent realistic imagery of illness and disease, as death became a grim reality. Other common representations of victims included the “death bed” scene, in which a dying person is represented surrounded by loved ones. This attitude is well reflected in works like the Limbourg brothers’ painting, The Procession of Saint Gregory (1300). As more people began to see the plague as some sort of divine punishment of society, the church stressed the importance of religious repentance as the means to combat the epidemic. Religious works also turned to dark depictions of death, focusing on imagery representing the torments of hell.įuneral procession scenes- already very commonly represented in art- were painted showing anonymous plague victims as they were led to the grave. Artists who had formerly painted joyful scenes now turned to images of death, disease, and devastation. The Plague’s effect on medieval society cannot be overstated, and it’s presence and the fear it inspired can be felt through its representation in various aspects of medieval culture. The first wave of the Black Death killed an estimated 25–50 percent of Europe’s population. via Reaching it’s height in Europe in the mid 1300’s, The Black Plague (or the Black Death) was a plague that could be contracted either by a bite from an infected flea or rat, or through diseased air. The Procession of Saint Gregory painted by the Limbourg brothers in 1300.
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