摘要
在十五世紀初期，死亡似乎成為啟發創作靈感的力量，1425年「死亡之舞」被畫在巴黎的英諾森墓園，而在這個世紀裡，類似的作品遍佈整個歐洲。「三個死者和三個生者」的古老傳奇也進入藝術中，成為壁畫和纖細畫中最喜愛的主題。顯然地，是在法國產生了死亡之舞的觀念，而它出現在戲劇形式裡是比壁畫還來得早，英諾森墓園的死亡之舞是這題材裡所知道最早的圖畫。死亡之舞總是表達出寓意性、道德和諷刺的概念。在我們的探查中注意到兩件傑出的作品：巴黎的圖像和詩句，以及霍爾班的版畫。在十五世紀，死亡是隨處可見的，關於「死亡之舞」，本質上是中世紀晚期的產物，除非我們同情的理解這時期的精神，否則無法了解這主題，我將把焦點放在它的象徵意義和社會脈絡。
並列摘要
In the early years of the fifteenth century, Death seemed to have become the great inspiring force. In 1425 the ”Dance of Death” is painted in Paris at the Cemetery of the Innocents, and all through the century similar works appeared throughout Europe. The old legend of the ”Three Dead and Three Living” entered into art and became one of the favorite subjects of mural painting and miniature. France apparently gave birth to the idea; and it is certain that its appearance in dramatic form preceded that of the mural paintings. The Dance of Death in the Cemetery of the Innocents was the earliest known painting of this kind. The dance invariably expresses some allegorical, moral or satirical idea. In the course of our investigations we note the fact that there are two outstanding works: the pictures and verses at Paris and Holbein's engravings. In the fifteenth century the image of death is everywhere. For the Dance of Death, properly speaking was essentially a product of the late Middle Ages. Unless we have a sympathetic insight into the spirit of that period we can not hope to understand our subject. I'll focus on its symbolic meanings and the social contexts.