Dance of Death images started in the 15th century and both French and German
researchers say that the idea originated in their country. But wherever it originated
the images spread outwards throughout Europe, including to the UK. Such images
depicting skeletons symbolising death would not have necessarily shocked nor seemed
morbid in medieval times. Infact many scenes show the death symbol having a lot
of fun and often teasing humans.

The original dance of death style is one long line of people doing the farandole, with
a skeleton inbetween each character. One skeleton leads the line and generally a jester,
fool, is at the other end. Each living person depicted along the line symbolises a station
in life such as king, nun, pedlar, beggar and so on. Most such images were painted on
walls, but almost every other medium has been used including canvases, stained glass, manuscripts, printed images in books,
and carvings of wood and stone. These early images and concepts were copied for centuries. Later, in printed books,
images show just one social status per page together with it's death symbol and a short poem.

Where there is a dance there must be a musician. And sometimes the musician was a pipe and tabor player, pictured
in the middle of the dance, or at the front.

By the 14th century there were already poems and plays about death, both secular and religious, even before such
concepts became popular subjects for drawings and paintings. Images illustrating death became particularly fashionable
in Europe around the time of the Black Death, which was also a time of crop failure, climate change, pestilence, and the
Hundred Years' War. The mortality rate was high; the average man lived to around 50 and a high proportion of children
died before the age of 5. Public executions were commonplace and most people would have seen a dead body; death
was not hidden away as it is today.

unknown 1852 copy, page 351 Fig 25b