The Boozer
© The Trustees of the British Museum
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JMJ
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Holbein's dance of death, the drunkards.
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One Death throws the boozer over — while the other pours wine into his mouth.
The boozer is one of those who did not appear in the 1538 edtion of the
dance of death
but was added later.
In the dance of death (picture to the left), Death is also pouring wine into the gullets
of the drunkards.
The accompanying text for this letter goes: »We üch die sprechen das böss ist gut vnd das gut ist böß /
die setzen die finsternus dz liecht /
vnd das liecht die finsternus / die setzen das bitter syg süss / und das süss bitter«.
This is from Isaiah 5,20, which in Luther's version sounds:
»Weh denen, die Böses gut und Gutes böse nennen, die aus Finsternis Licht und aus Licht Finsternis machen,
die aus sauer süß und aus süß sauer machen!«
In English:
»Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light,
and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!«
Various artists
Tês Kainês Diathêkês (1531)
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Organôn (1536)
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The dance of death
Alphabet
Holbein
T
