Unknown English artist

small book with 10 woodcuts published by Tindall Wildridge in 1887. The book can be seen in detail at The Wenceslaus Hollar Digital Collection (see link below), where the woodcuts are attributed to John Bewick.

It's a mistake to claim the blocks were cut by Bewick, because:

1. The book itself nowhere makes the claim that the cuts were made by Bewick
2. John Bewick copies Holbein's woodcuts rather closely, whereas this unknown artists follows the deviations that were invented by Arnold Birckmann and later imitated by Wenceslaus Hollar and David Deuchar.
3. The books itself mentions (p. 32) that Bewick's wood-blocks were destroyed by fire in 1825. This would have made it a tad difficult to employ them in 1887.
4. The book states clearly (p. 37) that the blocks »are a series found in a northern printing office many years ago« and that they »seem to be of considerable age«.

Has this unknown artist then copied Birckmann, Hollar or Deuchar? The picture where all the different artist deviate most from each other, is that of the preacher. Birckmann and Hollar have given Death empty hands, while Deuchar and the unknown artist has given Death a small bone in his hand. Hollar has drawn the hourglass so indistinctly that Deuchar has missed it.

Birckmann: Empty hands distinct hourglass

Hollar: Empty hands indistinct hourglass

Deuchar: A small bone no hourglass

Unknown artist: A small bone indistinct hourglass

It's hard to conclude anything. The unknown artist includes Hollar's indistinct hourglass (which Deuchar has missed). Death gets a little bone in his hand, like in Deuchar's plate, but the hand is held upturned like in Birckmann's wooodcut.

Resources

• The whole book is available at The Wenceslaus Hollar Digital Collection - look for »Bewick, 1887«.

Bishop

Preacher

Other interpreters of Holbein's dance of death

• Hans Holbein (1538) - the original woodcuts
• Heinrich Aldegrever (1541)
• Heinrich Vogtherr (1544)
• Arnold Birckmann (1555)
• Scharffenberg (1576)
• Peter Paul Rubens (1600-1610)
• Eberhard Kieser (1617)
• Wenceslaus Hollar (1651)
• Johann Weichard von Valvasor (1682)
• Christian de Mechel (1780)
• David Deuchar (1788)
• John Bewick (1789)
• Alexander Anderson (1810)
• Pseudo-Bewick (1825)
• Ludwig Bechstein (1831)
• Joseph Schlotthauer (1832)

Dances of death Holbein Dance of death Unknown English artist