The Historiography of the Medieval Danse Macabre in the European Context

Abstract

The Medieval Danse Macabre is depicted in many sacred buildings. Some of these works comprise an important part of the artistic legacy of Late–Medieval Europe. We may look upon the Danse Macabre as a form of artistic expression which symbolically unites the worldly and the religious and thematically puts forward the message of equality among people regardless of class. The Middle Ages are characterised by the cholera pandemic, adversity and war, all of which had an effect on cultural creativity. Various research (archeological, medical, etc.) explores the etiology of the Black Death, the development, history, appearance and spreading of the plague in Europe at that time. Certain literary works (De contemptu mundi; De miseria humane conditions Innocenta III.), artes morendi, memento mori (Hélinand de Froidmont, Les Vers de la Mort)avail themselves of Danse Macabre themes as a paradigm for artistic performances.