The Danse Macabre, Medieval painting in St Nicholas Church, Tallinn, Estonia
The Danse Macabre is a large-scale painting on canvas depicting a long procession of figures dancing with death. The work spans a wide horizontal surface and presents this scene with numerous characters arranged in a continuous composition.
The painting was created between 1475 and 1499 by Bernt Notke during a period of major social upheaval. The first documented mention appears in 1603 through church warden records.
The painting shows death dancing with people from different walks of life, with Low German verses creating dialogues between the figures. These scenes reflect how medieval people saw death as something that comes to everyone, regardless of wealth or position.
The painting is located in St Nicholas Church in Tallinn, specifically in the St Anthony Chapel. The setting is an active place of worship, so visitors should be respectful while viewing this important artwork.
This medieval work is the only surviving Dance of Death painting on canvas from the 15th century in the entire world. It underwent major restoration work from 1962 to 1964 in Moscow to preserve it for viewing today.
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