''The Chariot of Death'' is a large allegorical painting by

Théophile Schuler Jules Théophile Schuler (18 June 1821 – 26 January 1878) was a French painter and illustrator in the Romantic style. He gave his name to an art award established in 1938. Life The son of a pastor, he studied painting in his hometown, int ...

. It was gifted to the

Unterlinden Museum The Unterlinden Museum (French: ''Musée Unterlinden'') is located in Colmar, in the Alsace region of France. The museum, housed in a 13th-century Dominican religious sisters' convent and a 1906 former public baths building, is home to the Isenhe ...

by the artist in 1862. Its inventory number is 88.RP.454. The painting is considered one of the most emblematic of the collection (which includes the world-famous

Isenheim Altarpiece The ''Isenheim Altarpiece'' is an altarpiece sculpted and painted by, respectively, the Germans Nikolaus of Haguenau and Matthias Grünewald in 1512–1516. It is on display at the Unterlinden Museum at Colmar, Alsace, in France. It is Grünewal ...

). A drawn copy of the painting is kept in the

Cabinet des estampes et des dessins The Cabinet des estampes et des dessins (Print room) is a museum in Strasbourg in the Bas-Rhin department of France. It is dedicated to the municipal collection of prints (''estampes'') and drawings (''dessins''), but also woodcuts and lithograph ...

Content

The painting was begun by Schuler (then 27 years old) after his return to his hometown of

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, under the impression of the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

, specifically the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

, which he had witnessed in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Schuler worked on its completion until 1851, during which time he became witness to the

counter-revolutionary A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "counter-revoluti ...

backlash, which confirmed the pessimism and the anguish of his vision of the 1848 upheavals and turmoil. ''The Chariot of Death'' is inspired by medieval and early Renaissance Dances of Death, especially

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered o ...

's. As with older depictions, Schuler's painting shows people from all ages and walks of life: a pope, a king, a young mother (modelled on the artist's sister), a fool, a poet, a sick man, a lawyer, a murderer, a Native American, an Arab, a young

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

... being taken away by death. A special emphasis is placed on artists (among them

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

and a self-portrait of Schuler), who are at the top of the pyramidal

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

, and on French revolutionaries, with whom Schuler had empathized. Schuler depicts different

personifications of Death Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

: one is the

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

of death in the centre of the painting, a young and beautiful but cold-faced woman with black hair and black wings, who drives the chariot while looking straight at the viewer; the other is a

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

in a shroud, in the lower right corner of the painting, which is shown grabbing an

executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...

with its right hand, while dramatically driving the

Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. Th ...

(a common trope of

anti-Judaism Anti-Judaism is the "total or partial opposition to Judaism as a religion—and the total or partial opposition to Jews as adherents of it—by persons who accept a competing system of beliefs and practices and consider certain genuine Judai ...

) away with its left hand. On the opposite side of the diagonal starting bottom right with the Wandering Jew is a

wayside cross Wayside may refer to: * Wayobjects, trackside objects *Wayside (band), an early version of As Friends Rust * ''Wayside'' (TV series), a television show based on the children's book ''Sideways Stories from Wayside School'' *A rest area Places ; ...

, which the chariot is only driving by. Schuler thus raises the question of the meaning of death and alludes to the inability of religion to provide an answer.

Gallery

The Chariot of Death - the passengers.jpg, The angel of death with her passengers Death grabs an executioner and sends the Wandering Jew away.jpg, Death grabbing the executioner while sending the Wandering Jew away Colmar (9625065620) (2).jpg, Death's horses The Chariot of Death, detail, horses.jpg, Closer view of Death's white horses, showing the intense brushwork Schuler, The Chariot of Death, signature.jpg, The painter's signature on a grave cross

Bibliography

*Emmanuel Honegger: ''Le Char de la mort'', Le Verger Éditeur,

Barr Barr may refer to: Places * Barr (placename element), element of place names meaning 'wooded hill', 'natural barrier' * Barr, Ayrshire, a village in Scotland * Barr Building (Washington, DC), listed on the US National Register of Historic Places ...

, June 2020,

References

External links

Presentation of the painting
on the museum's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Chariot of Death, The Allegorical paintings French paintings 19th-century paintings Paintings about death Romantic paintings Paintings in Alsace Flags in art Horses in art Skulls in art

Content

Gallery

See also

Bibliography

References

External links