Death and the Maiden ( in German) was a common motif in Renaissance art, especially in German painting and printmaking. The usual form shows just two figures, with a young woman being seized by a personification of Death, often shown as a skeleton. Variants may include other figures. It developed from the Danse Macabre with an added erotic subtext. The German artist Hans Baldung depicted it several times.Le Mort dans l'Art
The motif was revived during the romantic era in the arts, a notable example being Franz Schubert's song "Der Tod und das Mädchen", setting a poem by the German poet Matthias Claudius. Part of the piano part was re-used in Schubert's famous String Quartet No. 14, which is therefore also known by this title, in either English or German.
Selected versions Painting: Death and the Maiden () by Hans Baldung (1517) Painting: Death and the Maiden () by Niklaus Manuel Deutsch I (1517) Painting: Young Woman and Death () by Henri-Léopold Lévy (1876) Engraving: Death and the Maiden () by Edvard Munch (1894) Painting: Death and the Maiden () by Adolf Hering (1900) – private collection, location unknown Painting: Death and the Maiden by Marianne Stokes (1908) Painting: Death and the Maiden () by Egon Schiele (1915) Drawing: Death and the Maiden () by Clara Siewert (1920s) Drawing: Death and the Maiden () by Joseph Beuys (1959) Painting: Death and the Maiden, Ballet for Two by Herbert Lautman (1995)
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External links
Death and the Maiden @ La Mort dans l'Art