Moni Engel

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As an independent researcher (art-historian but cultural history sneaks in) I'm intrigued by the macabre and especially by the Dance of Death. Being half Swiss with a father from Basel it seems only natural that I chose this Dance of Death as my main subject.
An English publication will see the light in 2026: my updated article of Das Münster (2013) with new findings: 'Death and the Jew in the Dance of Death mural in Basel: new insights into origins and dating '.
Phone: +31 6 575 66 010
Address: Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Sophie Oosterwijk

NİLAY ERDEM AYYILDIZ

Hacettepe University

Susie Protschky

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Ahmed Mansour

Fadipe A Israel, PhD

Ajayi Crowther University Oyo Nigeria

Kaouthar Masmoudi

Claudio Zanini

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Anton Pritula

The State Hermitage Museum

Ioana Filipescu

Babes-Bolyai University

Paul Bayoch

Unity University

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Papers by Moni Engel

Understanding the late 18th century with the help of a Dance of Death. From a religious medieval Memento Mori to an enlightened Danse Macabre.

'Hirie Dime, Varchoas Dide'. La Mort et ses représentations. Actes du XXe congrès de l'association Danses macabres d'Europe., 2023

IN 1785 (4 YEARS BEFORE THE START OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION) MUSÄUS AND SCHELLENBERG CREATED A REM... more

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Buried Alive! A Dark Fear in Times of Enlightenment.

Regarder la mort en face : actes du XIXe congrès international de l'association Danses macabres d'Europe : Bucarest, 9-12 septembre 2021 , 2021

In this article I investigate the fear of being buried alive. A fear that already existed in anti... more In this article I investigate the fear of being buried alive. A fear that already existed in antiquity but only took the form of a genuine hysteria in the mid XVIIIth century, during the times of Enlightenment. What caused this fear to flare up specifically in the age that is also known as the Age of Reason ? And what were the consequences of this fear ? With this article an attempt is made to provide an answer to these and other questions that will give more insights into the dark side of the Enlightenment.

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Daniel Burckhardt and his enigmatic drawing of the demolition of Basel's Dance of Death

The subject of this paper ‘Daniel Burckhardt-Wildt and his enigmatic drawing of the demolition of... more The subject of this paper ‘Daniel Burckhardt-Wildt and his enigmatic drawing of the demolition of Basel’s Dance of Death’ came to mind when I prepared a previous paper about Jeremias Burckhardt and the dance of death which he drew when only 12 years old. Jeremias was the son of Daniel Burckhardt. While studying Jeremias I came across this watercolour pen drawing by his father, Daniel. At the same time I read in 'Die Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Basel-Stadt’ (1966) a statement of Franҫois Maurer on this very drawing, and, as far as I know, the only comment given on this drawing so far: ‘the drawing was at least made after the demolition took place as the sequence of the pairs is chosen randomly’. This may not appear strange, we all know that Basel’s Dance of Death started with the pope, than the emperor, empress, king, queen, etc. And when we take a closer look at the drawing we see that Daniel Burckhardt indeed didn’t follow the correct sequence. Maurer’s statement seems correct. But after reading Daniel’s obituary in which he was called ‘a cheerful man, tirelessly in business affairs and of an exceptional love of order’ , Maurer’s statement seems strange. How is it possible that a man who is praised for his ‘love of order’ makes such a sloppy mistake? How can we reconcile Maurer’s statement with this painting?

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Der Totentanz von 1791, gezeichnet von Jeremias Burckhardt (1779-1838)

In this 'Rundbrief' of the 'Totentanz-Vereinigung Schweiz' you'll find a report of my presentatio... more In this 'Rundbrief' of the 'Totentanz-Vereinigung Schweiz' you'll find a report of my presentation during the conference in Basle, September 2015. I'm currently working on an article on the dance of death by Burckhardt jr. and sr. To be published in 'der Basler Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Altertumskunde'.

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