The dance of death: death takes the astrologer. Coloured aquatint after T. Rowlandson, 1816.
- Rowlandson, Thomas, 1756-1827.
- Date:
- 1816
- Reference:
- 46999i
- Part of:
- English dance of death, from the designs of Thomas Rowlandson, with metrical illustrations, by the author of "Dr Syntax".
- Pictures
About this work
Description
Death, left, tips up the chair on which the astrologer, in Turkish dress, was sitting at his table. The table is sent flying, as are the items on it: a book with astrological charts (inscribed "nativity") and a celestial globe (sphere) on which stands a cat. The backdrop is painted with figures of the moon, and a stuffed crocodile-like animal is suspended from above. Right, two female customers of the astrologer
Publication/Creation
1816
Physical description
1 print : aquatint, with watercolour ; image 12.2 x 20 cm
Contributors
References note
J.R. Abbey, Life in England in aquatint and lithography 1770-1860, San Francisco 1991, no. 263.
Reference
Wellcome Collection 46999i
Creator/production credits
In 1814 the humorous artist Thomas Rowlandson started to create a distinctive "English Dance of death": Rowlandson produced watercolours of contemporary scenes showing death, and William Combe (a writer) wrote verses describing the scenes. In addition to Combe's verses, each aquatint is accompanied by a couplet in English verse by an unidentified author, and the aquatints were coloured in watercolour by unkown hands. The combined pictures and texts were published by Rudolph Ackermann from his shop in the Strand, London, at a rate of three prints a month from 1 April 1814 to 1 March 1816
Type/Technique
Languages
Subjects
Where to find it
Location Status Access Closed stores