The two dances in Basel

The River Rhine divides Basel into Großbasel (top) and Kleinbasel. The arrows indicate the two dances of death.
Basel by Merian

The purpose of this page is to show how similar the two dances in Basel were: The totally unknown dance in the secluded nunnery in Kleinbasel, and the widely famous and publicly accessible dance at the Predigerkirche in Großbasel.

The mural in Großbasel was more exposed to wind, weather and vandalism.
Feyerabend, Destruction

Broadly speaking, the 39 participants are the same in both dances, i.e. the 24 staple characters from the High German four-line dance of death have been expanded with 15 new ones. The figures in both dances often have the same postures and the same dialogues.

There are, of course, quite a few differences, and these are due to the many renovations that the more exposed painting in Großbasel had to go through. Here the Reformation plays a decisive role: In Kleinbasel, the Reformation meant that the nuns were run out of town, and the mural was now more protected (and unknown) than ever. In Großbasel, restorers had to reduce the number of Catholic clergy and in other ways prevent an iconoclasm by zealous Protestants.

Let's compare the watercolors which Emanuel Büchel executed in the latter half of the 18th century. On the left is the dance in Kleinbasel, which had probably not been changed since it was created in the first half of the 15th century. On the right, the one in Großbasel, which had been continuously updated to accommodate the changing tastes of the times.

KleinbaselGroßbasel
Ossuary
Büchel, Ossuary
Preacher and ossuary
Büchel, Preacher and ossuary

Both dances start with two Deaths leaving an ossuary, while playing the drum and flute.

Usually there is a preacher to introduce the dances, but this character is absent in Kleinbasel — maybe because the door didn't leave enough room?

In Großbasel, on the other hand, there is a preacher, in the person of the Reformer Johannes Ökolampadius. This change must have happened when the painting was renovated in 1568, and it probably protected the painting from being destroyed during the iconoclasm.

Pope
Büchel, Pope
Pope
Büchel, Pope
Emperor
Büchel, Emperor
Emperor
Büchel, Emperor
Empress
Büchel, Empress
Empress
Büchel, Empress
King
Büchel, King
King
Büchel, King
Cardinal
Büchel, Cardinal
Queen
Büchel, Queen
Patriarch
Büchel, Patriarch
Cardinal
Büchel, Cardinal

The cardinal is moved and makes room for a queen.

Instead, the next dancer, the Catholic Patriarch, is transformed into a Cardinal, having the same posture as the Patriarch had.

There still exists a fragment with the queen, and under centuries of layers of paint you can see the original cardinal, which is very reminiscent of the cardinal in Kleinbasel.

Archbishop
Büchel, Archbishop
Bishop
Büchel, Bishop

Another Catholic cleric is removed, namely the archbishop, who is replaced by a bishop with the same posture.

Duke
Büchel, Duke
Duke
Büchel, Duke
Bishop
Büchel, Bishop
Duchess
Büchel, Duchess

The bishop had moved up, where he had replaced the archbishop, this leaves room for a duchess.

Thus, both king and duke are duplicated, as are emperor / empress, nobleman / noblewoman, young man / woman and Heathen man / woman.

Count
Büchel, Count
Count
Büchel, Count
Abbot
Büchel, Abbot
Abbot
Büchel, Abbot
Knight
Büchel, Knight
Knight
Büchel, Knight
Lawyer
Büchel, Lawyer
Lawyer
Büchel, Lawyer
Juror
Büchel, Juror
Senator
Büchel, Senator

The only figure added on the west wall compared to the High German four-line dance of death, was a juror ("Fürsprech").

But why should there be both a lawyer and a solicitor? In Großbasel he is replaced by a senator. In both cases, Death pulls the hat off his victim.

Canon
Büchel, Canon
Canon
Büchel, Canon
Physician
Büchel, Physician
Physician
Büchel, Physician
Nobleman
Büchel, Nobleman
Nobleman
Büchel, Nobleman
Noblewoman
Büchel, Noblewoman
Noblewoman
Büchel, Noblewoman
Merchant
Büchel, Merchant
Merchant
Büchel, Merchant
Abbess
Büchel, Abbess
Abbess
Büchel, Abbess
Cripple
Büchel, Cripple
Cripple
Büchel, Cripple
Hermit
Büchel, Hermit
Hermit
Büchel, Hermit
Young man
Büchel, Young man
Young man
Büchel, Young man
Usurer
Büchel, Usurer
Usurer
Büchel, Usurer
Young woman
Büchel, Young woman
Young woman
Büchel, Young woman
Musician
Büchel, Musician
Musician
Büchel, Musician
Herald
Büchel, Herald
Herald
Büchel, Herald
Mayor
Büchel, Mayor
Mayor
Büchel, Mayor
Executioner
Büchel, Executioner
Executioner
Büchel, Executioner
Fool
Büchel, Fool
Fool
Büchel, Fool
Beguine
Büchel, Beguine
Peddler
Büchel, Merchant

The third Catholic cleric to disappear is the beguine. She is replaced by a hawker/peddler.

Blind man
Büchel, Blind man
Blind man
Büchel, Blind man
Jew
Büchel, Jew
Jew
Büchel, Jew
Turk
Büchel, Heathen
Heathen
Büchel, Heathen
Turkish woman
Büchel, Heathen woman
Heathen woman
Büchel, Heathen woman

The text shows that the previous two dancers were Turks, but during a later renovation of the painting in Großbasel, the Turkish Emperor Suleiman I was added at the end of the dance.

Therefore, there was no longer a need for Turks at this point in the dance, so the couple instead became pagans, who invoke Jupiter and Venus.

Cook
Büchel, Cook
Cook
Büchel, Cook
Peasant
Büchel, Peasant
Peasant
Büchel, Peasant
Child
Büchel, Child
Child
Child
Mother
Büchel, Mother
Painter's family
Merian, Mother and child
 
Paradise
Büchel, Adam and Eve

Towards the end, it becomes difficult to follow the changes. Both dances had a child and the text was basically the same. But at one point one of the restaurators, probably Hans Hug Kluber, added himself as the painter, while the child and the mother were joined together and became the painter's wife and son.

When Emanuel Büchel executed the watercolors on this page in the latter half of the 18th century, the child, mother, painter's family, painter and Turk had disappeared, while the Paradise was made wider and took up as much space as two or three regular dancers.

Further information