The Boozer

The young girl The rider

 
Initial letter T, The Boozer  
 
Holbein, drunkards
Holbein's dance of death, the drunkards.

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 right), 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!«


The young girl The rider Up to Holbein's Dance of Death Alphabet