Overview

This groundbreaking collection of essays by a host of international authorities addresses the many aspects of the Danse Macabre, a subject that has been too often overlooked in Anglo-American scholarship. The Danse was once a major motif that occurred in many different media and spread across Europe in the course of the fifteenth century, from France to England, Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, Spain, Italy and Istria. Yet the Danse is hard to define because it mixes metaphors, such as dance, dialogue and violence.The Danse Macabre aimed to confront viewers and readers with the prospect of their own demise by showing how Death summons each and every one of us—whether high or low, young or old, rich or poor. It functioned both as a text and as a visual theme, and often in combination, while also lending itself well to performance. Now best known through the satirical woodcuts of Hans Holbein the Younger, the motif was one of several 'macabre' themes that developed alongside the moralising tale of the Three Living and the Three Dead and the stark depiction of the cadaver on tomb monuments.The Danse Macabre was influenced by earlier themes, but thanks to its versatility its own impact went much further. As this corpus of innovative research will show, the Danse inspired sculptors, portrait artists, authors and dramatists such as Shakespeare far more than has been recognised until now. From the mural in 1420s Paris and John Lydgate's poem to the subsequent dissemination in print, Mixed Metaphors will reveal the lasting influence of the Danse on European culture from the Middle Ages to the present day.

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9781443829007

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Two universal experiences, dancing and death, come together in the Danse Macabre. Its origin as an iconographic form is clearer than most: a mural in the cemetery of Les Saints Innocents, Paris, painted in 1424-25. But like most innovations it has precursors, both immediate - Jehan le Fevre refers to 'Macabre la dance' in 1376 - and more general, such as the Three Living and the Three Dead and transitomb iconography. Once established the Danse Macabre had a profound influence on other aspects of the iconography of mortality. Various literary and artistic themes centred on the Dance of Death are brought together in this well-produced volume, edited by Sophie Oosterwijk and Stefanie Knoll. [...] Although tombs feature in only a few of the essays, the whole of this volume is of value to researchers seeking information about the cultural background of the late medieval and early modern church monument. - Nicholas Rogers, Church Monuments, 27 (2012), pp. 119-120. The Danse Macabre [...] constitutes Western heritage but has hardly been recognised in heritage discourse. This fascinating and learned collection may start to change that. Its 445 pages of lavishly illustrated text provide the first, major academic study of the Danse Macabre for over 60 years. It vividly characterises the Danse as a European-wide, cultural phenomenon, often identifying places where it can still be seen. Its 40-page bibliography in eight languages should serve the information needs of both novices and specialists. - Tony Seaton, Journal of Heritage Tourism, 1:2 (2012) The volume is well presented with a range of illustrations, including sixteen colour plates. The essays are wide ranging and the scholarship is pan-European, including work by postgraduates and established authorities. Ultimately, 'Mixed Metaphors' sets out to raise questions and challenge assumptions, both about the danse macabre and the wider medieval culture of death. David Harry, Monumental Brass Society Transactions XVIII:4 (2012) 376-377 The volume edited by Sophie Oosterwijk and Stephanie Knoll takes as its object of analysis the 'danse macabre'. The 'danse' is difficult to define because of its many varied cultural manifestations, but the editors in their introduction suggest thinking about it as a set of images, texts, gestures and ritual practices which articulate metaphors for sex, sin, violence, social order and, of course, death. Within this framework, syncretism guides the narrative. Images, texts and practises borrow from one another. Likewise, metaphors derive their meaning from mixing and partially incorporating aspects of local culture. This is illustrated in sixteen contributions by scholars of literature, history and art history. Most address fifteenth- and sixteenth-century western Europe, although two studies present cases from eastern and south-eastern Europe. - Jacob Baum, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 64:3 (July 2013), 610-612. This collection includes essays that make hitherto little known or inaccessible material available to English-speaking audiences, and works across the notional boundary between the middle ages and early modernity. Students and researchers alike will find this a rich source for new ideas about the Danse Macabre and its wider context. - Alixe Bovey, Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 2013.

Author Information

Sophie Oosterwijk, FSA, is the Coordinator for Tomb Monuments in the MeMO (Medieval Memoria Online) project at Utrecht University. She was Editor of the journal Church Monuments from 2004 until 2011 and has published widely on the development of the Danse Macabre. Her recent publications include Monumental Industry: The Production of Tomb Monuments in England and Wales in the Long Fourteenth Century (2010, with Sally Badham). She is currently working on a monograph on the medieval Danse Macabre in Paris and London.Stefanie Knöll is a Lecturer and Curator of the graphic collection 'Mensch und Tod' at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf. She has published widely on tomb monuments, representations of old age, and the Danse Macabre. Among her recent publications is Frauen – Sünde – Tod (2010), an edited volume on women and death. Her current research deals with reproductions of monumental Danse Macabre paintings and the history of art historical writing on the Danse Macabre.

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