On the walls of the church of L’église Saint-Orien de Meslay-le-Grenet, a fresco portrays an army of grinning cadavers, wielding bladed scythes and swords merrily as they apprehend a cross-section of medieval society—regardless of their social class. The grim figures beckon them with skeletal hands to the Danse Macabre. Portrayed among the “invited dancers” are stoic knights, stolid peasants, arrogant princes and kings, pious bishops, noblewomen dressed in their finery, pretentious horseriding aristocrats, wealthy merchants, and even babies in their cradles. The Danse Macabre of the church of L’église Saint-Orien de Meslay-le-Grenet…
