Holbein Mug XXXIII: The Old Man

Block 33 of Hans Holbein’s Danse Macabre illustrates The Old Man, in which Death guides him by the arm into his waiting open grave. The elderly man, bent by life and age, seems more interested in Death’s dulcimer than in his impending demise. Meanwhile, a spent hourglass is left behind and for the old man, time has no more meaning.

Hans Holbein was a 16th century German woodblock print artist who created his Danse Macabre from 1523 to 1525. Each scene of the Macabre depicts Death intruding on the everyday lives of people from various levels of society. Holbein’s Macabre refashions the Dance of Death allegory into Renaissance Reformist satire. Holbein presents Death in many guises and illustrates that no escapes their ultimate fate; not the innocent, the righteous, the rich, or the pious.

Dimensions: 4” height x 3.375” diameter, 12-13 ounces

As a handmade mug, dimensions and form vary slight with each one.