The dance of death is a common motif in Western European culture, first in mottos and literature, then in frescoes, paintings, and series of engravings from the 14th to the 20th centuries.
The idea of the temporality of life and the end of human suffering took hold of the Catholic majority on the eve of the year 1000, as many believed that this year would be the end of the world. Despite the fact that the prophecy did not come true, constant unrest, famine, wars, diseases, and other hardships increasingly reinforced the idea of the futility of life and human pleasures, which is reflected in many works of art.