The Skeleton of Death reminds a greedy or dishonest lawyer of the dwindling sand in his hourglass even as a rich client, watched by a pauper, drops coins into his outstretched hand, in a 1571 chiaroscuro painting by Jan Březnický between ground floor windows of the Old Town Hall in Prachatice, South Bohemia, Czechia / Czech Republic. The artwork was inspired by “The Advocate”, a woodcut in the disturbing Dance of Death cycle by German artist Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), in which people from all levels of society are suddenly confronted by their own mortality.
Prachatice, South Bohemia, Czechia / Czech Republic: the Skeleton of Death reminds a greedy or dishonest lawyer of the dwindling sand in his hourglass even as a rich client, watched by a pauper, drops coins into his outstretched hand, in this late-16th century chiaroscuro painting between two ground floor windows in the façade of the Old Town Hall or Stará Radnice, built in 1570-71 in Velké námestí, the Great Square. The artwork, by Jan Březnický, was inspired by “The Advocate”, among the woodcut images in the disturbing Dance of Death cycle by German artist Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543). In scenes re-working medieval Danse Macabre allegories of the inevitability and universality of death, in which people are invited to dance to their graves, the skeleton visualised by Holbein confronts dozens of individuals from all levels of society - from pope to ploughman - as they go about their everyday lives. The Renaissance front of the Old Town Hall is richly decorated with allegorical morality scenes urging Prachatice’s civic leaders to act wisely, justly and honourably and warning judges against bribery. Below a line of eight virtues in red ovals are scenes painted in chiaroscuro, the use of light and dark in strong contrast to define three dimensional objects, with the judiciary and municipal leaders addressed in a series of Latin inscriptions. Prachatice, founded in the 13th century, was once a wealthy trading town that gained from its location at the end of the Golden Trail trade route from Bavaria. It became one of Bohemia’s richest towns thanks to its right to levy taxes on travelling merchants and a monopoly to store salt, essential in medieval times for preserving food.
Size: 3021px × 2019px
Location: Prachatice, South Bohemia, Czechia / Czech Republic.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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