[The dance of death
By: etched by Wenceslas Hollar after Hans Holbein]
Contributors: Holbein, Hans, 1497-1543; Diepenbeeck, Abraham van, 1596-1675; Pitau, Nicolas, 1632-1671; Merle, Jacques van, 17th cent
Publisher: Chez N. Pitau, rue St. Jacques proche les Mathurins
Published: 1680
Place of publication: A Paris
Language: lat
Number of pages: 30
Subjects: Dance of death; Early works to 1800; Pictorial works
Notes: Title devised by cataloger.

First published in Antwerp 1651, with title: Mortalium nobilitas iconibus ab Holbeino delineatis et a W. Hollar exsculptis expressa. See Pennington, who writes that  the 2nd ed. published by Nicolas Pitau in Paris appeared ca. 1680 (despite Pitau's death in 1671, as reported in Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, Bénézit).

Prints bear initials HB.i. (probably for "Holbein invenit") and WH ("Wenceslaus Hollar"), corresponding to Pennington's 2nd state. Bible verse in Latin beneath each image.

Each print (plate mark ca. 75 x 55 mm.) enclosed within one of three etched borders (plate marks ca. 115 x 93 mm.). The borders are printed from separate plates, and are signed by Hollar after Abraham van Diepenbeeck beneath the bottom edge line. Pitau added his name and address to the border described under Pennington 233A. This occurs in 7 prints in the present copy, "Van Merle" rather than "Pitau" appears with the same address in 2 more (a variant not noted in Pennington), and in one print with this border the name has been cut away. Ten prints have border 233B, with van Diebenbeeck and Hollar's names alone in center of bottom margin, and the ten remaining have 233C, with van Diebenbeeck and Hollar's names together with date 1651.

Pennington, R.  Wenceslaus Hollar, 233-266

Prints in Getty copy trimmed close to platemark or slightly within. Copy of Pennington 238 ("Empress") trimmed beyond edge line at lower left, with loss of most of legend. Copy of Pennington 261 ("Child") trimmed into edge line at upper right.

Prints of Getty copy now matted individually with glassine guard sheets, in cloth-covered clamshell box.