The Chaff Bridge's cycle of paintings

Dancing skeletons and the rushing Reuss

Death is omnipresent in the triangular paintings of the Chaff Bridge. The motifs symbolize the Dance of Death.

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Home / Cycles of paintings / The Chaff Bridge’s cycle of paintings

Nobody is safe from death

Painted wooden panels depicting encounters between the living and the dead have been hanging in the roof beams of the Chaff Bridge for around 400 years.

The first pictures were hung on the Chaff Bridge around 1616; the other panels that indicate the year they were created date back to between 1630 and 1637. In this same year, the first publication about the verses on the picture frames appeared. At that time, the cycle was most probably comprised of 71 paintings.

Renovations and changes

Time and again the paintings, which are exposed to moisture, were renovated. This was the case between 1727 and1730, around 1858 and in 1924/25. Details were changed in the process of renovation, but the content of the paintings remains the same today. By 1743, the verses had become practically illegible. And so the priest Jost Franz Halter received the order to improve them. A number of paintings were lost in 1785 when the Chaff Bridge was shortened.

Kaspar Meglinger…

… can be called the leading master of the Chaff Bridge cycle.

The cycle of creation can also be felt particularly keenly on the Chaff Bridge, where the flow of water rushes by.
Heinz Horat, art historian and author

Beginning with Adam and Eve

The actual Dance of Death cycle begins on the Herrenkeller side with the Dance of the Dead, the fall of man and Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Paradise. In panels 4 to 27, the ecclesiastical and worldly dignitaries alternate in hierarchical order. Panels 28 to 49 represent the professions, from doctor to man of the world. Panels 50 to 57 take up the theme of the ages, from child to old woman. Panels 58 to 63 continue the series of professions. In panel 64, the social ladder ends and the round dance motif returns with the Dance of Fools. Panels 65 to 67 close the cycle with themes of the last days: the passage of time, the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment.

Committed to depicting scenes of everyday life

In 1632, Kaspar Meglinger, the most famous Lucerne painter of the time, is paid by the authorities for two panels. The last panel was signed by him. For this and stylistic reasons, he can be called the leading master of the cycle, though many fellow painters were definitely also engaged in the project. Kaspar Meglinger used numerous graphic templates for his paintings. The Dance of Death by Hans Holbein the Younger played an important role. Meglinger also integrated very different works, for instance those of the workshop of Sadeler in Munich, into his creation. That he was committed to the then modern style of genre painting can be seen in the numerous scenes of everyday life, which he populated with the portraits of his clients.

The way from the Herrenkeller to Mühlenplatz – from the left to the right bank of the Reuss

Pictures from the Court Bridge’s cycle of paintings

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Wild men as shield holders

Two wild men flank the heraldic pyramid with the coats of arms of the Canton of Lucerne and the German Imperial Shield with the double-headed eagle and the Imperial Crown. The cycle of paintings commences with the theme of the tree of life and the lantern of the dead.

The ship of the dead attacks the ship of the living

This and the next panel are sponsored by the papal nuncio Ranuccio Scotti. The much better equipped ship of the dead attacks the ship of the living, the Roman nave. The painting is signed by the Lucerne painter Johann Jakob Wysshaupt.

Matteo Visconti presents his scepter to Alberto Scotti

This painting depicts a famous episode from the history of the sponsoring Scotti family: in 1302, Matteo Visconti, the Lord of Milan, was forced to surrender to his adversary Alberto Scotti, the Lord of Piacenza. Death is present: “All scepters belong to my realm.”

The Dance of the Dead

The dead are dancing in a circle. They are swinging the attributes of Death: the pick, spade, pickaxe, shovel, scythe, sandglass, arrow and bow. One is playing the triangle and another is blowing a long trumpet, a symbol of fama (rumor), of past glories.

The expulsion from Paradise

After the fall of man, Archangel Michael expels Adam and Eve from Paradise. Death came into the world with original sin. It is playing a xylophone and Death walks ahead of the first human couple.

The pope

With his back to the congregation, Pope Urban VIII stands at the altar celebrating Mass. One Death is an altar boy, a second Death creeps along with a spear to fetch the pope.

The emperor

The emperor is standing on a stair landing with his guardsmen and courtiers. He is wearing Spanish fashion and the Austrian Imperial Crown, which was made in 1602 by order of Emperor Rudolf II. Death accompanies him as a court official. He is holding the ceremonial sword and pointing to the monastery.

The empress

The sumptuously dressed empress walks with her entourage across the terrace, framed by a balustrade. The court ladies are also elegantly dressed. Death walks ahead as an imperial herald. A second Death dressed as the court jester carries the train of the cloak.

The cardinal

The old cardinal lies dying. The doctor is reassuring the dignitary, a priest is knelt at his bedside, other men are praying. A sandglass lies knocked over on the floor. In the background, Death enters the bedroom.

The king

Although the heavily armored king is surrounded by his soldiers, Death attacks him at the gallop, plunging the sword into his chest. The riders battle wildly, and yet the human superiority cannot prevent Death from doing its deed.

The queen

The queen is being festively dressed by her court ladies in her Renaissance castle. Death emerges as a chamber maid from behind the curtain, it raises the hourglass and places its right hand on the queen’s shoulder.

The bishop

The bishop is sitting on his throne and seems to be settling a dispute as judge. Ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries are gathered around. Two Deaths have approached the bishop from behind. Grinning, they whisper to each other.

The duke

The duke fears for his life. Adorned with laurels, Death confronts the dignitary and mocks glory and honor, belonging to the past. A second Death plays the viola da braccio and invites to dance.

The duchess

The duchess has collapsed in a hall in the castle. A monk with a crucifix is crouched next to her, the weeping court ladies sink to their knees. Death as a knight, with helmet and red plume, puts the sword back into the scabbard after the deed is done.

The abbot

Death meets the Benedictine abbot in an open field in front of the monastery. Dressed as a Turk with a red cloth, he lifts the bow and draws the arrow taut; a second Death plays the lute. A monk is preaching in front of the monastery church.

The abbess

The abbess is walking with her Cistercian nuns on a terrace in the sunlight. Death is sitting on the floor playing the crumhorn; another is playing the harp. The third Death grabs the abbess by the robe and skips off with the crozier.

The count

Death as a servant wearing a waisted doublet with slit sleeves and tight breeches deals a deathblow. Wearing armor and holding a shield, the count turns to his adversary, supported by his guards.

The countess

As a coachman dressed in red, Death swings the whip over two horses and drives the countess in the coach over land. A second skeleton stands as a lackey on the footboard and provides shade with the parasol.

The provost

The provost reads from the prayer book. He wears the surplice and fur-trimmed cappa, on his head the black biretta. The one Death plays the curved cornetto, the other, the gravedigger, looks at the provost through the magnifying glass.

The priest

As an altar server with the bell and the burning lantern, Death walks ahead of the priest. He clenches a sick box for the anointing of the sick under his arm, the priest carries the host monstrance. Along the way, there is a festively dressed pair, kneeling. They are the likely sponsors of the painting.

The monk

The Benedictine monk is lying on a red cushion on his death bed. His fellow brothers stand before the bed praying, one holds a burning candle. A skeleton dressed in a shroud has grabbed the monk by the shoulders, a second breaks the rod.

The prioress

The prioress sinks down at her prayer stool, while two Deaths draw back the bed curtains. The cell is nicely furnished. Two doves coo on the floor. There is a house plant on the window sill and next to it, a birdcage.

Der The nobleman

Two Deaths ambush the mounted nobleman on the hunt and shoot him with a crossbow. The mention of “peacock larkspur” could be a deliberate reference to the legend of Tell and Gessler and the scene in the Hohle Gasse (Hollow Lane) in Küssnacht.

The noblewoman

In a Renaissance city, the elegantly dressed noblewoman walks with wet nurse, child and entourage. As a bird-catcher, Death offers her untethered birds. In Baroque sermons, Death was referred to as the bird-catcher.

The mayor

The mayor walks with fellow councilors in front of the city walls. One Death approaches him as a messenger and hands him a letter. A second Death in dark councilors’ robes weighs the mayor’s rod against the arrow.

The councilors

The council debates in the columned hall, partitioned with curtains. Death enters the circle as a messenger and hands the sealed death sentence to the recorder, who is sitting at the table and recording the minutes. A bugle hangs down by his side.

The knight

The Knight of Malta is attacked by three Deaths dressed as Turks. The sponsor can be seen at the back right of the picture next to Death. In the background of the painting, another Death duels a knight.

The judge

The court is passing judgement on the accused. Death has crept on to the bench of judges. While another Death takes the judge’s staff away from the chairman, a third Death grabs the accused and breaks his (begging) staff.

The watchmaker

This painting probably replaced the doctor’s panel in 1747. Two Deaths have entered the watchmaker’s workshop. One holds up a sandglass and points to the child with the hand of a tower clock. The child is asleep in a coffin-shaped cradle. A second Death plays the triangle.

The ensign

The naked Death tears the standard of the Confederates, the red banner with the white cross, from the ensign. The principal character is likely to represent the sponsor of the painting.

The advocate

The advocate sits on a box in front of a city wall. He accepts money from the foppish patrician. He leaves the poor farmer in the dark. Three Deaths pounce on the advocate, tear the spectacles from his nose and show him the sandglass.

The philosopher

The philosopher sits at the desk in a large hall. He is leading an academic debate and gesticulating with his hands. Two Deaths have mixed in among the students. A third tears the skullcap from the scholar’s head.

The way from Mühlenplatz to the Herrenkeller –
from the right to the left bank of the Reuss

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The astrologer

The only night picture in the cycle depicts the astronomer or astrologer sitting on a terrace, engrossed in observing the stars. Two Deaths approach him, one with a book and drawing board and the other with a skull and spyglass.

The merchant

In a highly elevated position, in front of a wide river landscape with heavily laden wagons and cargo ships, Death dressed as a trader from the East stands before the merchant. He draws his attention to the special container that his colleague has just painted a cross on.

The clerk

The city clerk sits at his desk in a dark, pillared hall, writing down with a goose quill pen the will that a patrician is dictating in the presence of his wife. Death seals another will, that of the clerk which has just been rolled up.

The master builder

The construction site is in full swing. The master builder stands at the table explaining, with a pair of compasses, the building plans for a church being erected here to the crowned Death. A second Death pushes the halberd into his back. The sponsor of the painting looks on.

The rider

A battle is raging in front of a towered city. The rider gallops off. A naked Death has jumped on the back of the horse and slays the warrior with a rifle, even though he managed to draw his sword. The donor was a commander.

The painter

Colleagues are gathered in the painter’s atelier. As the inscription above the window states, they worked in the Court Church in the year 1637 Their names are known. The painter at the easel is Kaspar Meglinger, the leading master of the cycle. Death mixes the colors for him.

The sculptor

The sculptor is working on a sculpture in his workshop, when he is stabbed by Death. The incident goes unnoticed by his pupil, who continues to work on the clamped statue.

The hunter

During the hunt, part of the hunting party gathers at the edge of the forest to celebrate. The naked Death approaches with a pewter canteen and fetches the hunter out of the circle. The characters depicted are members of the Zur Gilgen sponsor family.

The goldsmith

This panel provides a clear view of the goldsmith’s workshop and sales counter. Death presents a skull trophy in the form of a “drinking game”, the other threatens with the fire tongs. Customers look out from the picture at those looking at the picture.

The bloodletter

The man sitting in the foreground of a river landscape is having blood drawn by the bloodletter. Death as an assistant holds a bowl into which the blood flows. Numerous symbols of transience, the children dressed in black, the wind wheel and the mirror are brought together in the picture.

The grocer

Dense forest crowds in on the country road on which the grocer is travelling. His wagon is heavily laden. Two Deaths as highwaymen storm out of the bushes and attack the grocer. A horseman has drawn his sword to drive away the robbers.

The fisherman

The rising river flows out of the mountain valley into the wide plain. Two fishermen stand in the water bringing in their nets. Two others work on the river bank. Deaths have joined them and catch crabs with their nets, which they put into a wooden tub.

The soldier

The army is ready for battle. The artillery is firing all its guns at the elevated castle. The soldier fights Death in the foreground. The one Death has delivered the decisive thrust with the sword, while the other Death takes aim with his rifle.

The gardener

The gardener tries to dodge the water, which Death, smiling sneeringly, pours over him out of a watering can. A Baroque emblem indicates that too much water kills plants.

The farmer

This painting, which has been heavily restored over time, depicts the farmer with a cow, which is being milked by a woman. The farmer points to Death, which is leaning on the scythe and bringing a jug to have it filled with milk.

The man of the world

The aristocrat, also called “the man of the world”, has drawn his sword to fight off Death, which has seized the reins. The latter shows him the globe resting on a skull as an unstable good fortune ball. It could roll off the head at any time.

The child

A young woman kneels on the floor. She has pulled back the sheets. The child, holding an apple in its hand, climbs naked out of the crib to happily follow Death. Sad and helpless, the mother stands with two other children next to the supposedly burlesque scene.

The boy

Death tears the school bag, decorated with a deer, from the schoolboy and beats him with the rod. Wailing, the young man has raised his arms and waves a black inkpot. The sponsor couple with their two children present themselves on the left.

The youth

A noble dinner party has gathered to toast a long life to the youth. A grinning Death already has torn the plumed hat off the head of the young, elegantly dressed patrician. A second Death accompanies the harpist on the lute.

The virgin

The virgin embroiders a finely woven cloth. Death with the lace cap on its skull presents itself as a maid. It points out his colleague to the young woman, who is waiting to dance with her. The third Death plays the lute and dances to its own music.

The loving couple

The courting couple has met for a rendezvous in the gardens of the castle. Musicians play concert music on the lute, slide trumpet, viola da braccio and viola da gamba. Death has joined them and plays the shawm. The sponsor couple depicted married in 1635.

The wedding couple

The wedding party is gathered and awaits the wedding couple to be married by the priest. Death receives a key as only it can dissolve the marriage. It has a viola da braccio grasped under its arm to play at the celebration, in its hand it holds a scythe.

The old man

The painting, which was presented already in a ruinous state, shows the old man in dark robe. Death places a hand on his shoulder and points to the open grave. A second Death carries the coffin and leans on a stick.

The old woman

The old woman seems to be asleep. Emerging out of the darkness, Death holds a crucifix for her; a second Death sits in front of a book, wearing the biretta and the doctor’s spectacles, and plays with the crutches. Two Capuchins stand at the bedside and give the Last Rites to the dying woman.

The miller servant

Three water wheels drive the mills’ grinding stones. The miller servant is on his way with a sack of grain. Death with a grain measure and a rod approaches him and bars his way. A second Death takes the sack off him, laughing.

The barker

The tout has set up his table in the marketplace of a small town. He shows the amazed crowd a small bottle of the elixir of life. Death is present as the barker’s assistant. It holds a scythe and holds up its own mixture, grinning.

The tramp

A couple of young tramps are on their way. The woman has a hurdy-gurdy over her shoulder, the man has a stolen chicken dangling from his belt. Deaths as pursuer and court usher capture them. It is certainly the much-travelled sponsor couple depicted here.

Kronos, the time

Kronos, an old man with a sandglass as crown on his head, swings the scythe and strides over the utensils of life. An angel blows the trumpet of the last days. The triple-arrow shooting Death pushes urgently and powerfully into the crowd.

The resurrection of the dead

The prophet Ezechiel describes his vision: he is standing in the middle of a plain, and it is full of dry bones. God commands him to speak to them, whereupon they come to life. God opens up the graves and leads the People of Israel into the Promised Land.

The Last Judgement

Christ has appeared in Heaven for the Last Judgement. Man rises from the earth to be judged. On the left, the good float up to Heaven; on the right, the damned go to Hell. This is the last painting of the cycle and is signed by Kaspar Meglinger.

Abundance

The biblical book of “the Preacher” is likely to have been an inspiration for the composition of the program of paintings. The preacher describes people who live in abundance – like many of the people depicted in the paintings on the bridge who, despite the serious theme, radiate joie de vivre, arrogance, pride and self-confidence. The sentence that opens the book, “Höchste Vergänglichkeit, spricht der Prediger, höchste Vergänglichkeit, alles ist vergänglich” (which roughly translates as: “Transience of transiences, says the Preacher; transience of transiences, all is transient”), is the same that closes the book. Transience, vanity and nullity are thereby equated. The cycle of creation can be felt particularly keenly on the Chaff Bridge. The water of the Reuss rushes by.

Death is a companion

The series of paintings could be immediately interpreted by anyone at the time familiar with local affairs as a depiction of Lucerne society. There are, for instance, portrayals of Patrician families. The depicted Death is not likely to have assumed too much importance. The conceited protagonists repress Death too much. Death fits in elegantly with the group depicted – as a companion, not a destroyer.

Listen to the Dance of Death

The audio guide about the Dance of Death takes you over the Chaff Bridge and brings the remarkable paintings of the cycle closer to you.

The audio guide about the Dance of Death, developed by the History Museum of Lucerne, gives you background information on selected paintings from the cycle and their history. Listen to the 20-minute recording to discover more about the Chaff Bridge’s important cycle of paintings. You can click on the audio guide further down this page. Start the audio guide at the History Museum. It takes you from the left bank of the Reuss over the bridge to Mühlenplatz and back again.

Our thanks to the History Museum

We are only able to provide this audio guide with the support of the History Museum of Lucerne. We thank you for your valuable cooperation.

Concept and direction: Buschi Luginbühl
Casts: Martina Binz, David Gilgen, Manuel Kühne, Roger Pfyl, Franziska Senn and Walter Sigi Arnold
Music: Till Löffler and Jakob Eisenbach (in cooperation with the ZhdK (Zurich University of the Arts))
Singer: Meret Roth
Sound technician: Roland Fatzer

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Audio guide about the Dance of Death

Listen to the narration as you cross the Chaff Bridge.

Would you like to find out more about the triangular paintings
and view the other cycles of paintings?

The cycle
of paintings

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The Court Bridge’s
cycle of paintings

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The Chapel Bridge’s
cycle of paintings

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