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Hans Holbein the Younger - The Coat of Arms of Death

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description Hans Holbein the Younger - The Coat of Arms of Death Overview

Hans Holbein the Younger’s “The Coat of Arms of Death” is a woodcut from the German Renaissance period. It depicts a heraldic shield featuring prominent skulls, representing mortality and challenging conventional views on life and death. This image served as the title page for his influential "Dance of Death" series. The work is notable for its stark visual representation of death’s universality and remains relevant for art historians, students studying early modern European thought, and those interested in the themes of emblem design and the dance-death motif.

help Hans Holbein the Younger - The Coat of Arms of Death FAQ

What appears on Holbein's Coat of Arms of Death?

A man and woman flank a heraldic shield bearing a skull. Above it, skeletal arms and an hourglass replace the noble symbols normally displayed in a crest.

Was the woodcut carved by Hans Holbein himself?

Holbein designed the image, but the cutting is attributed to the specialist block cutter Hans Lützelburger. This division between designer and Formschneider was common in Renaissance print production.

Is The Coat of Arms of Death part of Holbein's Dance of Death?

Yes. Museums catalog it as part of Holbein's Dance of Death series, which confronts people from different social ranks with mortality.

When was The Coat of Arms of Death made and published?

The design dates from around 1526 and appeared in the celebrated 1538 publication of Holbein's Dance of Death images. Surviving impressions are held by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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