
Read the visual description
This drawing depicts a skeletal figure on horseback in a city scene. The skeletal figure, wearing a cloak, rides a horse through a scene of destruction and death. The background shows smoke and crumbling buildings, suggesting devastation. Prone figures lie on the ground in the foreground. Strong contrasts of black and white emphasize the dramatic and eerie nature of the scene. The composition conveys a sense of doom and universality of death.
National Gallery of Art · Print
Auch ein Todtentanz VI
Alfred Rethel
- Date
- 1849
- Medium
- wood engraving
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1971.28.5
- Credit line
- Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
- Time span
- 1826 to 1850
- Department
- CG-E
Portfolio and series
- Series
- Auch ein Todtentanz aus dem Jahre 1848
Subjects and terms
- German
- Death
- Horse
- Sword
- Building
- Figures
NGA object ID 52478. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.