Physician Rich man

 
Astrologer  
 

The Astrologer

D eath presents a skull to The Astrologer. Presumably to show a comparison between the spherical universe and the skull.

Above the head of the astrologer hangs a model of the Universe with the Zodiac, which is reminiscent of the picture of The Last Judgment. For further details, see this external link about The Armillary Sphere .

The astrologer did not appear on most of the printed sheets, but with the official issue of Les Simulachres & Historiées in Lyon in 1538 he became an integrated part of the dance of death.

Variations: Birckmann lets the astrologer measure a globe; the window is made square with a shell-motif above. Valvasor and Deuchar copy Birckmann. However, Valvasor ignores the mussel-shell above the window, which shows that Deuchar has copied Birckmann, and not Valvasor.
Rubens places 2 rulers crosswise on the table, and Mechel replaces them with a real cross.

Various Artists

Holbein 1538: Astrologer
Holbein (1538)
Birckmann 1555: Astrologer
Birckmann (1555)
Rubens 1590: Astrologer
Rubens (1590)
Kieser 1617: Astrologer
Kieser (1617)
Valvasor 1682: Astrologer
Valvasor (1682)
Rusting 1707: Astrologer
Rusting (1707)
Mechel 1780: Astrologer
Mechel (1780)
Deuchar 1788: Astrologer
Deuchar (1788)
Bewick 1789: Astrologer
Bewick (1789)
Anderson 1810: Astrologer
Anderson (1810)
Bechstein 1831: Astrologer
Bechstein (1831)
Schlotthauer 1832: Astrologer
Schlotthauer (1832)
Douce 1833: Astrologer
Douce (1833)

Physician Rich man Up to Holbein's great dance of death