The Dance of Death

"The Dance of Death" by Gilles Corrozet and Jean de Vauzelles is a historic exploration of life and loss through a series of images and poetic verses created in the 1500s, demonstrating how death comes for everyone no matter their place in society. Published in 1538, the book uses artistic images created by Hans Holbein the Younger alongside insightful stories to explore deep ideas about right and wrong, and what it means to be human, prevalent in Europe after major religious changes; each picture includes a quote from the Bible in Latin and four lines of poetry in French to add to the overall theme. Through images of people from kings to everyday workers, the book shows death does not care about class or job, serving as a powerful reminder of the short amount of time we all have and thought-provoking commentary about society at the time. The writing has lessons that readers can learn from mixed with a sense of urgency, inspiring people to think about their own lives and how everything eventually comes to an end.