The following is a fairly complete list over book publications of Holbein's original woodcuts.
Before 1538: The Trechsel brothers published a small book,
which may be regarded as a transition between the so-called proofs
and the proper book publications.
On the front page is Trechsel's printer's mark (right) and nothing else.
Then follow 39 woodcuts with
two scenes missing, viz
The Expulsion and
After the Fall.
On the other hand,
the astrologer
is included.
There are no headings and in fact no texts at all.
1538: »Les Simulachres & historiées faces de la
Mort, autant elegamment pourtraictes, que artificiellement imaginées«.
The first edition with 41 woodcuts.
The last page states that the brothers Trechsel were behind the publication:
»Excvdebant Lvgdvni Melchior et Gaspar Trechsel Fratres. 1538«.
The front page tells us that the book was printed »A Lyon, soubz l'escu de Coloigne«", which was the address of the brothers Frellon.
Jean and François Frellon were sons of a Parisian printer, but Jean had later acquired citizen's rights in Basel.
As of 1536 the brothers were established in Rue Mercière in Lyon at l'Écu de Cologne.
1542: »Les Simulachres et historiées Faces De La Mort,
contenant la Medecine de l'ame, utile et necessaire non seulement aux malades […]«
Published by the brothers Frellon, who are responsible for the following publications,
since the brothers Trechsel had closed their shop following a strike in 1539.
1542: »Imagines de Morte et Epigrammata e Gallico idiomate a Georgio Aemylio in
Latinum translata«.
A Latin version. As the title states, Gilles Corrozet's epigrams have been translated by Georg Aemilius.(1)
1545: »Imagines Mortis. His accesserunt, Epigrammata, è Gallico idiomate à
Georgio Æmylio in Latinum translata.«
This edition has 42 woodcuts,
since the beggar has been added. The beggar has nothing to do with the rest of the dance
but appears in a different section of the book.
1547 saw three different editions.
|
1547: »Imagines Mortis. Duodecim imaginibus præter
priores, totidemque inscriptionibus præter epigrammata é
Gallicis à Georgio Æmylio in Latinum versa, […]«.
At the end: »Lvgdvni, Excudebat Ioannes Frellonius, 1547«,
because François had died in 1546.
Now there are 53 woodcuts and the beggar has become an integrated part of the series.
1547: »Icones Mortis, Duodecim imaginibus præter priores, […]«
The first word of the titles are different between this and the previous book
("Imagines" / "Icones"), and the whole text has been set anew. Other than that these two books are identical.
1547: »Les Images de la Mort. Auxquelles sont adjoustées douze figures. […]«
The book was printed »A Lyon, A l'escu de Cologne, chez Iehan Frellon«.
Unlike the two previous versions that were in Latin, this one is in French. Other than that the contents are the same.
1549: »Simolachri historie, e figure de la morte. La
medicina de L'anima. […]«
Italian version with 53 woodcuts.
In the preface Jean Frellon complains about the pirate edition of Vincenzo Valgrisi,
but Frellon got his revenge by copying Valgrisi's Italian text for his own edition.
The Frellon Brothers' printer's mark
|
1554: »Icones Mortis. Duodecim Imaginibus praeter
priores, totidemque inscriptionibus, […]
Basileae«
The title claims that this edition was printed in Basel, but doesn't specify which publisher/printing house.
The question is whether the woodcuts were really sent to Basel and back,
or if the place of printing was forged in order to avoid censure.
1562: »Les Images de la Mort, auxquelles sont adjoustees
dix sept figures. […] A Lyon, par Jehan Frellon«
This was the last edition. This time there are 5 more woodcuts —
or as the sub-title says: 17 ("dix sept") more
than in the first edition.
The title page says, »A Lyon, Par Iehan Frellon, 1562«,
but is wasn't printed by Frellon, who had sold his presses by this time.
The last page states:
»A Lyon, Par Symphorien Barbier«.
The Internet Archive and other collections offer scans of various
photographic reprints from the 1800's. While they are not bad, the photo-technique of the 19th century leaves something
to be desired;
Before 1538:
The front page with the Trechsel Brothers' printer's mark is here:
Trechsel.
To see the rest: Use the search function to search for "totentanz" or "trechsel".
The Internet Archive has scanned
the original 1538-edition:
Les simulachres & historiees faces de la mort, autant elegamme[n]t pourtraictes, que artificiellement imaginées.
- The Internet Archive also has 26 of the original woodcuts from an edition from 1547 or later:
Les simulachres & historiees faces de la mort, avtant elegammet pourtraictes, que artificiellement imaginées (the exact title is unknown).
- The Internet Archive has the Italian edition from 1549:
Simolachri, historie, e figure de la morte (included in this exemplar are the 30 plates by Hollar of unknown age).
- The Internet Archive also has several books from the 1800's with photographic reproductions of
Holbein's original woodcuts (use their search function and look for "holbein" or "dance of death").
Bibliothèque Nationale de France has scanned two copies of the 1538-edition in high resolution:
Les Simulachres & historiees faces de la
Mort,
Les Simulachres & historiees faces de la
Mort.
The University of Virginia has the 1542-edition
Imagines de morte, et epigra[m]mata è Gallico idiomate à Georgio Aemylio in Latinu[m] translata.
(Click the thumbnail picture)
The University of Düsseldorf has the 1554 edition (the one from Basel):
Icones Mortis : Dvodecim Imaginibus praeter priores, totidémque inscriptionibus […]
- The University of Düsseldorf also has several photographic reprints from the 19th century.
The Biblioteca digitala in Cluj-Napoca in Romania has the 1554 edition:
Icones mortis : duodecim imaginibus praeter priores totidemque inscriptionibus, praeter epigrammata : qvae his addita sunt, sequens pagina commonstrabit
(download as a 41.69 MB pdf-file).
Poland's digital National Library has the 1554 edition:
Icones mortis, dvodecim imaginibus praeter priores totidemque inscriptionibus, praeter epigrammata e Gallicis
The Bavarian State Library has the 1554 edition:
Icones Mortis Dvodecim Imaginibus praeter priores, totidémque inscriptionibus, praeter epigrammata è Gallicis à Georgio Aemylio in Latinum versa, cumulatae
The Austrian National Library has the Italian 1549 edition:
Simolachri, historie, e figure de la morte
Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden has the 1562 edition (the one with most pictures):
Les Images De La Mort, Auxquelles sont adioustees dixsept figures
Holbein's Pictures of Death and the Reformation at Lyons - by Natalie Zemon Davis. Lots of background about the brothers Trechsel and Frellon.
Georg Aemilius . . .: 1517-1569, (also called Oemmel, Aemylius, Emilius, Öhmler and Oemler).
Several authors claim that Georg Aemilius was Martin Luther's brother-in-law,
but this is incorrect. It was Georgs father, Nicolas Oemeler,
whom Luther called his boyhood friend and brother-in-law — and brother-in-law should be understood in a very broad sense,
since Nicolas Oemeler and Luther's brother Jakob had married two sisters.
inding Holbein on the Net is easy, but in the majority of cases
the "genuine" Holbein woodcuts turns out to be the copies produced by
Douce in 1833
(or rather: 1858).
All their qualities untold they are still copies with inevitable
differences — particularly in the facial expressions.
Finding genuine Holbein is a bit more difficult,
but the situation is becoming better and better.
Dances of death
Holbein's dance of death