Hans Holbein's dance of death, David Deuchar

avid Deuchar (1743-1808) had his dance of death published first time in London 1788 (the frontispiece says 1786).

Deuchar shamelessly copied the frontispiece from Christian von Mechel by simply replacing Mechel's name with his own. On the copied frontispiece Deuchar kept the claim that the work was based on the original drawings by Holbein: »Gravé d'apres les Dessins originaux de Jean Holbein«. This claim was suspect already when Mechel made it, since the so-called original Holbein-drawings have later been shown to be the work of the young Peter Rubens. But in Deuchar's case the claim becomes absurd, since nothing indicates that Deuchar has ever looked at anything by Holbein.

Deuchar also copied the French letter-press for each plate and added an English translation. Mechel's book had contained 46 plates (including the frontispiece, and excluding the scabbard), and this number was repeated in Deuchar's title: »The dances of death, through the various stages of human life: wherein the capriciousness of that tyrant is exhibited: in the forty-six copper-plates«;

So bottom line is that Deuchar was very dependent on Mechel: He could only bring the same 46 dancers that Mechel had published — and in the same sequence and with the same comments. In some editions Deuchar has added Death's Escutcheon and his very own version of The Creation, but these plates are featured outside the dance and without letter-press. Deuchar also copied Holbein's dagger scabbard, which isn't included in neither Holbein's Simulaches or by any other artist than Mechel (although it's hard to see that it's a scabbard, picture to the right).

Given this dependency, one would assume that the plates for the dance of death were copied from Mechel as well, but this is not the case. Apart from the frontispiece and the dagger Deuchar hasn't copied any scenes from neither Mechel nor Holbein.

Deuchar, Hollar and Birckmann

Hollar's plates were much inspired by Arnold Birckmann's interpretation of Holbein's work. How can one determine then, whether Deuchar has copied Hollar's copies of Holbein and Birckmann — instead of copying Holbein and Birckmann directly? The easiest way of proving this, is to note that Deuchar has chosen the exact same variants that Hollar had chosen.

In 20 of the 30 pictures, Hollar choses to follow Birckmann instead of Holbein, in 9 cases Hollar prefers Holbein to Birckmann and in a single case he combines elements from them both (see the page about Hollar for details). Every time without fail, Deuchar chooses to follow Hollar. The only exceptions are those where Deuchar follows neither Holbein nor Hollar, but adds some details of his own, for instance when he gives Death behind the preacher a little bone in his hand.

Two more examples will show, how Deuchar copies Hollar instead of copying Holbein and Birckmann.

But what is really strange, is that Deuchar has 17 copperplates more than Hollar has, and when one looks at these 17 plates (which couldn't be copied from Hollar), then it looks as if Deuchar is even more Birckmann-o-phile than Hollar was:

There's not in any of Deuchar's 17 additions any hint that he has as much as looked at Holbein. Deuchar has copied 30 pictures from Hollar and 17 pictures from Birckmann. There is no indication that Deuchar has ever seen any of Holbein's original woodcuts. Deuchar has copied Hollar's copies of Birckmann's copies of Holbein.

This is deeply ironic, since Holbein is the only artist mentioned anywhere in Deuchar's book. Neither Mechel, Hollar, Diepenbeeck nor Birckmann are being credited anywhere.

Deuchar's plates are signed HB i for "Holbein invenit" and DD f for "David Deuchar fecit" (i.e.: Holbein has invented the design, Deuchar has executed it). At the bottom of the frames it says "David Deuchar fecit".

All in all, Deuchar has 47 of Holbein's woodcuts — only 4 images are lacking: All men's bones, The Last Judgment, young woman and young man. After going through countless reprints, Deuchar's copperplates were published as lithographic reproductions where all details were lost.

The various editions

lthough Deuchar's etchings were only published in a few editions, there are great variations.

1788. This first edition was by an unknown publisher in Edinburgh (the frontispiece says 1786). Of the two copies available online, only one has the Diepenbeeck-inspired frames.

The book contained the image on the left, believed to be a self-portrait. The various symbolic elements in the image (Adam and Eve reaching across the circle, two skeletons (at the edge), three Norns under an arch, two obelisks and a skull at the top) recall the Memento Mori by Andrea Andreani.

1803. The two editions were produced by two different printers, namely by S. Gosnell in Little Queen Street and W. Smith in King Street. The vast majority of these editions are without the Diepenbeeck frames.

The vast majority are also without Death's Escutcheon, and the strange thing is that, except for these few exemplars, the Escutcheon of Death is no longer used for Deuchar's books, but instead — and without any explanation — used for several reprints of Wenceslaus Hollar's copies of Holbein.

1811. This is where it gets really weird, because even though all the copies have been printed off John Jackson, they are very different.

The title page no longer says, »in the forty-six copper-plates«, for most of them only have 23 scenes and end with the old woman, which plate is assigned the number XXIII.

A few exemplars have 43 or 46 scenes, and in these the old woman has been assigned numbers XL and XLVI respectively, so we know that there are not just a bunch of pages missing in the other, short editions.

1887. After the books had gone through many editions, they were finally published as lithographic reproductions of the copper plates.

The subtitle is now: »illustrated in forty-eight plates / by John Holbein«, and the 48 should be understood as meaning that the frontispiece is no longer counted, but on the contrary the Creation, the Escutcheon of Death, and the scabbard are included.

The old text on the frontispiece (which Deuchar had copied from Mechel) is erased. In its stead the Latin text that was written below: "Mors sceptra ligonebus [sic] æguat" has been moved up and translated: »Death confounds the sceptre with the spade« (picture to the right).

Links & Resources

Other interpreters of Holbein's dance of death