The dance of Death.
Engraver: Isaac Cruikshank (1764 – 1811)
Artist: after George Murgatroyd Woodward (1765–1809).
Description: Hand coloured etching. A fat bishop is seized by the nose and the neck-cloth; he says: I can't go— I am a Bishop!!
Provenance: this etching has been trimmed from a set of images arranged in four rows are twenty-four figures, all protesting at being seized by Death, a skeleton. Words are engraved above the head of each speaker. Death is throughout in the attitude of a fantastic dancer, handling some of his partners roughly or grotesquely, the skull registering grisly amusement. Perhaps a reissue; the costume and allusions suggest a date not later than c. 1795-7.
Production date: 1808.
Size: 10,5x14 cms.
Condition: trimmed and stuck to paper. A horizontal tear along the image as can be seen in the picture. Please scan carefully.
George Murgatroyd Woodward (1765–1809) was an English caricaturist and humor writer.
Isaac Cruikshank (bapt. 14 October 1764 – 1811) was a Scottish painter and caricaturist, known for his social and political satire.