Guyot Marchant's 'Danse Macabre' : The 1486 edition woodcut illustrations
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"The earliest known representation of the danse macabre dates from 1424, when a mural representing the Dance of Death was painted on the external walls of the Cemetery of Holy Innocents in Paris. Although the walls and the paintings have long since been destroyed, the images are preserved in the woodcuts of Guyot Marchant's edition of the Dance Macabre , published in 1485. The authorship of the poem accompanying the illustrations has never been conclusively established, although from an early date it was ascribed to Jean Gerson, chancellor of the Sorbonne, and indeed its didactic tone is strongly reminiscent of the sermons for which Gerson was so famous. If not Gerson himself, it is probable that the author was a member of the theologian's circle. Marchant's book quickly attained great popularity ... The original edition sold out almost immediately, and was followed in 1486 by an expanded edition. It is apparent ... that the author of the poem and the artist who crea...