Danse Macabre / The String Player

Name: Danse Macabre/The String Player Keychain
Brand: Reliq Leather
Price: 73.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Keychain / Hand-crafted to order / Ready to ship ~ November 30

€73,00 EUR

Made in Italy — Taxes & Insured shipping included.

PayPal interest-free installments ( IT, FR, DE, ES, UK, US, AU )

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Origin & Inspiration

Inspired by a 15th-century xilography from the Middle Rhenish Totentanz, this piece reinterprets the skeleton playing strings, one of the musicians leading the living into the dance of death.

The Danse Macabre spread through late-medieval Europe as an allegory of mortality, where kings, monks, and peasants moved together to the same rhythm of fate.

More than a symbol of darkness, it spoke of balance, the shared destiny that unites all beings. The String Player revives that idea in leather, turning remembrance into rhythm and craft.

Artisanal Method

Each keychain starts from the study of a 15th-century Danse Macabre xilography showing a skeleton playing strings. The scene is hand-transferred onto Italian vegetable-tanned leather, then carved with a swivel knife and shaped, strike after strike, using traditional steel stamps. Once the figure emerges in relief, the piece is hand-dyed, saddle-stitched with waxed linen thread, and finished with burnished edges and solid brass hardware.

Selected Materials

The String Player Danse Macabre Keychain is crafted to order, not from stock. Each piece is hand-cut, carved, and tooled from 100% Italian vegetable-tanned leather, certified by the Consorzio Vera Pelle Italiana Conciata al Vegetale. It is saddle-stitched with waxed linen thread and finished with a solid brass ring.

Every keychain includes the official Consortium certificate attesting to the origin and authenticity of the leather. Over time, it develops a natural patina, deepening in tone and character with use.