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The dance of death is a mirror of society. Representatives from all levels of society, from the Pope and the Emperor to the beggar and the child, must all join the dance. Everyone gets a chance to explain themself before being dragged away by Death to the heavenly judgment.
Therefore, it has often been tempting for the creators of these dances to participate themselves. This applies especially to the sponsors, and was particularly common in Erfurt, where the citizens who had donated the individual paintings often sat as models themselves (pictured on the left).
Another example is the dance at the Castle in Dresden, where Duke George the Bearded is recognizable — not only because of his beard, but also because he wears "the Order of the Golden Fleece". The subsequent dancer is possibly his son, Friedrich. One more example is the abbot in Füssen, who presumably shows the abbot who had ordered the painting.
It was also not uncommon for authors and writers to add a small greeting. For example, Hermen Bote wrote his name as an acrostic and so did Hans van Ghetelen; Des Dodes Dantz ends with a few words from »De dyt heft ghedicht vnde laten setten« ("the one who has written and had it typeset"); Mors de la Pomme ends with a nod from »lacteur qui point ne se nomme« ("the author who does not name himself"); and in the women's Danse Macabre in manuscript Fr. 1186 an extra verse has been added with a call for prayer for the scribe: »die vng aue maria / pour celle qui cy la fait faire« ("Say an 'Ave Maria' for the one did this").
On this page we will look at examples of how the creators of the dances of death themselves jump into the dance..
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The most famous example must be in Basel, where the mother and child, who otherwise are featured in all other variants of The High German 4-lined Dance of Death, are replaced by the painter's wife and son, and where Death ends the long row by taking the painter, Hans Kluber (picture to the left).
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Death reproaches the painter for making him so ugly. »HAns Hug Klauber laß Malen stohn, […] Hastu schon grewlich g'macht mein Leib, Wirst auch so g'stalt mit Kind vnd Weib« ("Hans Hug Klauber, let the painting stand; […] Even if you have portrayed me terribly, you will soon have the same shape - with child and wife").
It is even clearer in Bern, where the entire dance turns out to be one big painting. The painter — Niklaus Manuel Deutsch — has barely finished painting the last participants, the Jews and the Turks, when Death creeps up behind him in the middle of the work:
»O Manuel, aller Welt figur / Hast du gemalt an diese Mur« ("Oh Manuel. Figures from all the world / you have painted on this wall").
It is somewhat uncertain which of the two painters copied whom. Manuel painted Bern's Dance of Death 1516-1519, while Hans Kluber renovated the dance in Basel later, in 1568. On the other hand, it is an open question whether Kluber added himself, or whether he simply replaced an already existing image of the original painter, just as his wife and son also replaced two existing participants.
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When Hieronymus Hess had his watercolors published as lithographs in 1839, he had replaced Kluber with a picture of himself (pictured left) and another text that began »Hieronymus Hess lass s'Malen steh'n […]«.
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The dance in Basel has strongly inspired the dance of death in Füssen, and this painter also concludes the dance: »Jacob hiebeler laß daß mahlen stohn […]«.
The dance in Füssen has in turn inspired the dance in Oberstdorf. The latter unfortunately perished in a fire in 1865, but we know the text and therefore know that the painter also participated here: »Gabriel Neckher, Laß das Mahlen ston […]«.
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Most of the paintings for the Dance in Erfurt were painted by Jakob Samuel Beck, who also appears in one of the scenes. However, he is not mentioned by name: »Ich habe dich noch nie, mein lieber Mann, bezahlet, Dass du mich allzuschön und künstlich hast gemalet,« ("I have never yet paid you, my dear man, for having painted me too beautifully and artfully").
Unlike the examples we have seen so far, Beck is not allowed to finish the dance. The Erfurt Dance of Death was special in that it consisted of 56 separate paintings created by different artists over decades. Beck was involved right from the start in 1735, he painted himself in 1737, and he created the last picture in the series 40 years later.
A painter also participates in the Dance of Death in Lucerne. Here, however, it is a bit uncertain whether it is supposed to depict the artist. — Jakob von Wyl — or is just a random painter. He doesn't come in last, and this dance has no dialogue to help. Unlike Manuel he is not paintng a dance of death, but then again: so wasn't Hieronymus Hess as we have just seen.
The painter was included in the dance in Kienzheim. Unfortunately, this painting has long since perished, but we still have the text and a thorough description.
In Kienzheim the painter seems to have had a special position outside the row, because Death addresses him in the same place as the vicar: »Dissen rymen sagt der tod zum moler« (Death says these rhymes to the painter), »O moler, liebster maler myn, […] Dass malen solt du ligen lon« ("Painter, my dearest painter, […] you must leave the painting work").
The painter himself is placed 3 scenes further forward together with the mayor: »Hie stot der moler gmolt vntz an die hosen.« ("Here stands the painter painted up to his pants"). Like all the other painters who have portrayed themselves, he is a devout Christian who puts his trust in his salvation: »O maria hilff MIR gnad erwerben / Vmb myne sind, so ich thůn sterben« ("Oh Mary! Help me to receive grace for my sins, so I can die").
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There is also a painter in Babenhausen, but here we can easily see that it is not the artist himself. Partly because he, like the painter in Lucerne, is not working on a dance of death, and partly because the dance in Babenhausen is based on the book "Todten-Capelle".
Todten-Capelle (picture to the right) contains engravings, not paintings, so the painter is not a self-portrait. Furthermore, the text makes it crystal clear that the author is out to criticize all kinds of artists, whom he calls lying monkeys: »Die klugen Affen der Natur, denen, wie denen Poëten, das Lügen und mit Schatten zu handeln erlaubt ist, die Mahler, Bildhauer, Gold= Silber= und Kupffer=Stecher , Eisen= Stahl= Glas= und Holz=Schneider, […]« ("The clever apes of nature, who, like poets, are allowed to lie and deal with shadows, the painters, sculptors, gold, silver and copper engravers, iron, steel, glass and wood cutters, […]")
Besides, Todten-Capelle is not a dance of death, but an emblem book.
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It is sometimes suggested that the man and woman on Death's escutcheon by Holbein are meant to portray Hans Holbein and his wife. This is pure speculation, however.
It is much more likely that the "painter and artist" who appear in Sterbenspiegel are the brothers Conrad and Rudolph Meyer, while the old man is their father, Dietrich Meyer. This is supported by the fact that Conrad Meyer has previously created pictures of the family with their white-bearded father.
The book was copied in 1704 under the name »Erbaulicher Sterb-Spiegel« (picture to the right).
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The last of the 30 engravings in "Het Schouw-toneel" shows how Death comes after the author: "Een doctoraal poet". It is stated in several places, including the frontispiece, that the author, Salomon van Rusting, was a physician: "Med. Doct".
The heading says: »De doot nu prest d'Auteur op't lest« ("Finally, Death now presses the author"). The same applies to the German versions (on the right): »Den autor hetzt der tod zuletzt«. ("Death finally pursues the author").
Personally, I'm wondering if the author is also shown on the frontispiece. At the bottom lies a dead body with the text: »Ick Rust van myn Arbeydt« ("I am resting from my work."). Could there be a pun between "Rust"/resting and the author's own name, "Rusting"?
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When Count Zimmern copied Der Doten Dantz mit Figuren for his Book of Transience, he gave the count in Doten Dantz, a beard that looked like his own (pictured left). And we know it's a self-portrait, for the flag has been altered from three leopards to Count Zimmern's own heraldic weapon: A lion with a halberd.
»Freund Heins Erscheinungen in Holbeins manier« ends with the author (Musäus) and the engraver (Schellenberg) being reconciled with Death.
Death has had to put up with a lot from the two artists over the previous 161 pages, but now it's Death's turn: »nun auch ein Wort an euch: hab Auftrag, in mein Schattenreich die Herren beide zu introduziren«. ("Now a word to you too: I have been commissioned to introduce both gentlemen into my shadowy realm.").
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It's not just proper artists who feel like joining the dance. In fact, we have even older examples where the producers of the works also jump in.
As early as 1499 Matthias Huss published an edition of "La grand Danse Macabre", in which he added an extra scene with Death calling for the printers, typographers and booksellers. One must assume that they are interrupted while being busy producing and selling "La grant Danse Macabre".
The image is famous because it is possibly the oldest image of a printing press, and certainly the oldest image of a bookseller.
Two years later in the same city, this scene was copied by Claude Nourry. We know that they are not random printers, typographers and booksellers, partly because this scene does not appear in any of the other manuscripts or printed editions of La Danse Macabre. and partly because it's the only scene that Huss and Nourry has added to the 40 "stock characters" in Miroer Salutaire from 1486.
Something similar happened almost a hundred years later, when Nathan Chytraeus published Der Alte Todtendantz Sächsisch. The book was a late reprint of Dodendantz from 1520, but at the end of the dance comes »Deß Druckers thogaue« ("The printer's addtition"), where Death fetches the printer / typographer: »Hörup tho drucken gode Gesell / Und kum an dissen Reyen schnell« ("Stop printing, good craftsman, and come to this dance quickly").
There are also printers and typographers in the prayer book A Booke of Christian Prayersfrom 1559 onwards. Here, however, it seems that they are not concrete people, but rather are abstract representatives of their professions, just like the musicians, soldiers, craftsmen, peasants, etc.
This does not only apply to mass-produced texts. The first to write down the text from the dance of death in Bern was Hans Kiener. Kiener added two stanzas, where he himself is taken away by Death:
| Der Tod spricht zum Schriber dises Todtentantz: | Death speaks to the scribe of this dance of death: |
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| Tanzt auch hernach, kum (har) H. Kiener, Der du bist gsin der Leerkinden Diener! Dann dich hilft wäder müy noch arbeyt, So du vil Jar hast an die Khind gleyt. |
Dance afterwards too, come here, H. Kiener, for you are the servant of the apprentices! For neither effort nor work will help you, when you have spent many years guiding children. |
| Hans Kiener, der Schryber, gibt Antwort: | Hans Kiener, the scribe, answers: |
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Ich hab mich deß allwäg begäben, Das ich nit eewig hie wärd läben, So hoffen ich doch, min Dächtnuß blyb, Alls lang das wärt, was ich hie schryb. |
I have always resigned that I would not live here forever, but I hope that my memory will remain, as long as what I have written here lasts. |
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Kiener has given these stanzas Nos. 90-91. This means that he himself appears at the back of the dance, but before the three final verses with exhortatory sermons.
Hans Kiener added the verses in 1576, and the intriguing part is that they are heavily inspired by the painter in Basel and his wife. This in turn adds more fuel to speculations about which of the two dances copied the other.
Dansk 
The dance of death
Miscellanea
A portrait