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| The 1825 edition: Engravings on Wood by Mr. Bewick |
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| When you steal the text from another book, the result can become rather bizarre. According to the caption for this picture of two skeletons, "the two figures […] represent the dress of the Swiss Nobility of the sixteenth century." |
The genuine John Bewick woodcuts were destroyed by fire after 3 editions.
Nevertheless, in 1824 several issues of the magazine "The Portfolio" featured a total of 50 octagonal woodcuts in a dance of death series. Under each woodcut were sometimes the same verses as in Bewick's book, and sometimes a descriptive explanation, which was copied from the 1803 edition of Hollar.
When then 50th woodcut was published 23rd October 1824, the magazine ended with an announcement: »Announcements. Charlton Wright Has just Published […] The celebrated Holbein's Dance of Death, with 52 spirited Engravings by the celebrated Bewick, beautifully printed« — and verily, in 1825 William Charlton Wright published »The Dance of Death of the celebrated Hans Holbein, in a Series of Fifty-two Engravings on Wood by Mr. Bewick« (pictures left and right).
The octagonal woodcuts are those from The Portfolio with the same mixture of stolen verses and stolen texts. The title doesn't specify, which "Mr. Bewick" it refers to. John Bewick's woodcuts had perished, and he had been dead for 30 years. It's also very unlikely that it would be his famous brother, Thomas, »the celebrated Bewick« — the woodcuts aren't that good.
The woodcuts received an extremely favourable review in The Literary Magnet - English literature in 1825: »MR. WRIGHT has here presented us with the best edition we have yet seen of Holbein's Dance of Death. The work was much wanted; for the former ones were sadly imperfect; and the character of the wood-cuts, which alone lends popularity to the book, were defaced and worn down by the continual demands for them. Of Mr. Bewick, the artist of the present wood-engravings, we need say nothing ; his name is well known to the admirers of the Fine Arts; but let us add, — that if any thing is likely to give permanency to his well-earned reputation, it is the masterly way in which he has here illustrated Holbein's Dance of Death. The characters throughout may almost vie with those of Hogarth in vivid and startling reality, as any one who will refer to the engravings XXVIII. and XL. may perceive. Add to this, that the whole series form a fine moral tale of the mock-sublime nature; similar, and indeed in no respect inferior, to the celebrated Love-a-la-Mode of Hogarth. On the whole, we wish our publisher all the success that his spirited speculation merits.«
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| " for purposes of caricature" |
Notice that in the last sentence it says, "our publisher". Independent art experts were less impressed — in fact, the indignation over this edition spread all over the world:
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| "absurdly modernized" |
In England, Douce(1) doubted that the cuts were made by Bewick, »… the cuts, if Bewick's, [are] very inferior to those in his other works« and he called them »ridiculously modernised«; in Germany, Massmann(2) wrote »arg modernisirt«; and in France, Brunet(3) characterized them as »Copie médiocre et infidèle« and Langlois(4) added: »ridiculement modernisées et d'une exécution médiocre«. The American Warthin(5) summed it up: »The cuts with several exceptions are imitations of the original Holbein, but are absurdly modernized; both the costumes and the properties are represented in the contemporary style...[they] have somewhat the quality of caricature in them...If these cuts are Bewick's, which Douce seems to doubt, they are far inferior to his other work, and executed in a different style. They represent a far departure from the old medieval conceptions and treatment, and betray the tendency of the early nineteenth century to use the Dance of Death motive for purposes of caricature«.
The woodcuts were also printed on broadsheets with the title »Printed from Original Woodcuts, Engraved by Thomas and John Bewick«. Curiously enough, a former owner has struck out the words "Thomas and" — as if it was more probable that the woodcuts were made by John, who had been dead for 30 years.
One must agree with the critics: The woodcuts are "for purposes of caricature" and "ridiculously modernised", and there's no way they could have been made by John Bewick. But they are rather amusing, and a nice change of pace compared to John Bewick's more indifferent copies and the stilted text.
These woodcuts are one more example of works wrongly attributed to John Bewick.
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| Pope |
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| Bishop |
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| Abbess |
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| Old woman |
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| Physician |
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| Merchant |
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| Sailor |
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| Noblewoman |
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| Child |
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| The escutcheon of Death |
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| Waggoner |
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| Gambler |
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| Fool |
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| Young Woman |
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| Young man |
(1)Francis Douce, »The Dance of Death Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a dissertation on the several representations of that subject but more particularly on those ascribed to Macaber and Hans Holbein«, 1833, page 119
(2)Hans Ferdinand Massmann »Literatur der Todtentänze«, page 45
(3)Jacques-Charles Brunet, »Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres«, page 258
(4)Eustache-Hyacinthe Langlois, »Essai historique, philosophique et pittoresque sur les danses des morts«, page 124.
(5)Aldred Scott Warthin »The Doctor of the Dance of Death«, 1931.
Dances of death
Holbein
Dance of death
The fake Bewick