Pesta Plate 4 from Svartedauen

What it is

This plate comes from Svartedauen (The Black Death), a 1901 illustrated book by Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen. It shows a dark hooded figure resembling Death, carrying a raised scythe, walking through tall grass near a wooden house, with birds flying among birch trees.

Why it matters

This image personifies the Black Death as a figure of Death itself stalking the Norwegian countryside. Kittelsen's work reveals how, centuries later, the pandemic was remembered through folklore as an almost supernatural visitor bringing death to ordinary villages.

Look closer

• Why might the artist choose to personify the plague as Death with a scythe?
• What does the peaceful setting of the house and birds contrast with?
• What does this say about how people explained disease before modern medicine?