Hell Gallery

Last Judgement, Novgorod Icon (tempera on wood)

3469089 Last Judgement, Novgorod Icon (tempera on wood) by Russian School (15th century); 162x115 cm; Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia; (add.info.: At the second coming "the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne, with all the nations gathered before him. He will separate people into two groups" and the righteous He will bless, and they will enter eternal life; and the wicked He will curse and they will go away to eternal punishment.
); Russian, out of copyright

© Bridgeman Images

The Last Judgment

5974502 The Last Judgment by Palestinian School (18th century); 265x138.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: In the centre of the composition a medallion displaying the Preparation of the Throne, flanked by Adam and Eve, further up four angels with trumpets announce the Second Coming of Christ, the latter enthroned, blessing and displaying the stigmata on his hands, descending in a glory, flanked by his Mother and John, on the four celestial corners the apocalyptic personifications of the evangelists holding closed Gospels, on the top row two angels unrolling the starry heavens including the sun and the moon, angels and cherubs complete the first row, in addition at the far left an image of the Mandylion, the next register displaying the apostles seated under a colonnade, Solomon and Jeremiah at the extremities, the rest of the composition divided into two sections, the separating point being the scales under the medallion of the Throne, at the left the Just people in Paradise, St. Peter prominently holding the keys and leading the procession, at the right the sinners in Hell, the latter personified by the large serpent swallowing the scoundrels arriving in its mouth through the river of fire, behind the beasts of the Earth and those of the Sea also ingesting the wrong-doers, the inscriptions identifying the represented figures and events, a longer text at the left being the dedication of the patron, the eventful and colourful composition graphically rendered with saturated colours and gold.); Photo © Christie's Images

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Call to Hell, fdetail showing the Antehell, taken from Dante's description, 1500-02 (fresco)

6262771 Call to Hell, fdetail showing the Antehell, taken from Dante's description, 1500-02 (fresco) by Signorelli, Luca (c.1450-1523); Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta), Orvieto, Umbria, Italy; (add.info.: The interior, Chapel Nova or St. Brizio Chapel, southern wall
A group of slothers has a demon bearing a white banner, while in the centre you can see Charon ready to ferry the damned, destined, lower down, to the judgment of Minos. The latter is portrayed when he commits punishment to a damned man by a demon's hair, wrapping his tail around his body as many times as the number of the group he is destined for. Further on, on the "proscenium", a devil with blue flesh makes to hit a damned man by holding his hair: the crudeness of the scene interested Michelangelo, who in fact copied it.
Orvieto, Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (o Duomo), interno, Cappella Nova o di San Brizio, parete sud, dietro l'altare: "Chiamata all'inferno", affreschi di Luca Signorelli 1500 - 1504. Particolare in cui si vede l'Antinferno, tratto dalla descrizione dantesca. Un gruppo di ignavi ricorre infatti un demone che porta uno stendardo bianco, mentre al centro si vede Caronte pronto a traghettare i dannati, destinati, piu in basso, al giudizio di Minosse. Quest'ultimo e ritratto nel momento in cui commina la pena a un dannato tenuto per i capelli da un demone, avvolgendo la propria coda attorno al corpo tante volte quanto e il numero del girone a cui e destinato. Piu avanti, sul "proscenio", un diavolo dalle carni azzurrine fa per colpire un dannato tenendolo per i capelli: la crudezza della scena interesso Michelangelo, che infatti la copio.); Ghigo Roli

© Ghigo Roli / Bridgeman Images