John Bewick (1760-1795)

The London edition from 1789.
Bewick has added a frontispiece

The Newcastle edition from 1789 was simply named 'Dance of death'.

ohn Bewick's copy of Holbein's dance of death was published in 1789 — both in London and Newcastle. Each of these issues perpetuated its own myth.

The London edition was named »Emblems of mortality; representing, in upwards of fifty cuts, death seizing all ranks and degrees of people; Imitated from a painting in the cemetery of the Dominican Church at Basil in Switzerland.«.

This title repeats Scharffenberg's old error — that Holbein should have been responsible for the dance of death on the cemetery-wall of the Dominican church in Basel. Fortunately the book contains a long and sober preface, where the author after 21 pages concludes, that since Basel's dance of death was painted in 1446-48 — half a century before Holbein was born in 1498 — Holbein couldn't have been the originator.

The Newcastle edition is simply named "Dance of Death", so this publisher has refrained from confusing Holbein's dance of death with Basel's dance of death. On the other hand, the publisher created more confusion by writing on the title page: »Engraved by Thomas and John Bewick«.

The Expulsion

John Bewick's brother, Thomas, was far more famous than he was, and it would probably have increased sales if Thomas Bewick had helped cutting the blocks. But we have a letter from Thomas to John, where Thomas explicitly says he hasn't participated in the work: »I am much pleased with the Cuts for 'Death's Dance,' and wish much to have the book when it is done. I am surprised that you would undertake to do them for 6s. each. You have been spending your time and grinding out your eyes to little purpose indeed. I would not have done them for a farthing less than double that sum«.

So much for the careless publishers. John Bewick follows Holbein's originals fairly closely. His work is skilled, but uninspired. The London-preface states that the book is based on editions of Holbein's book from 1547 (where 12 pictures were added) and 1562 (where 5 more picture were added).

Under each picture is a small poem written in an insufferably stilted language. Bewick has added a frontispiece showing Death leading the entire society into the open grave (see both pictures above).

The woodcuts of the Creation with God dressed as a bishop was radically changed in order not to offend. From the preface: »I have only to add, that the Cuts in the present Edition, excepting only the first (which, representing in the Original the Deity in the Habit of the Pope, to avoid giving Offence, it was thought proper to omit and to substitute in its Room one designed for the Purpose) are engraven, and the verses under them translated from the Latin Edition of 1547; and that the additional Cuts which appeared in the French Edition of 1562, […]«.

Later Copies of Bewick

Anderson's copy (the 1846 edition)

The 1825 edition: Engravings on Wood by Mr. Bewick

Bewick's woodcuts were published in 1789 in London and Newcastle — and were later reprinted in 1795. The book The Bewick Collector by Thomas Hugo only mentions the two 1789 editions and adds: »the blocks were shortly afterwards destroyed by fire in London«. So the blocks were destroyed "shortly afterwards" 1789, and one must assume this happened after 1795, where the third edition was published.

This probably explains why Alexander Anderson had to copy Bewick's woodcuts for the American market in 1810 (picture to the left).

A more curious volume is one published in 1825 by William Charlton Wright, The Dance of Death of the celebrated Hans Holbein, in a Series of Fifty-two Engravings on Wood by Mr. Bewick (picture to the right). Unfortunately Wright never explained, who this "Mr. Bewick" was supposed to be.

A third book that has been wrongly attributed to John Bewick is really the work of an unknown English artist.