Chariot with the Seven Deadly Sins
c. 1590
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 22.6 × 28.9 cm (8 15/16 × 11 7/16 in.); sheet: 23.3 × 29.7 cm (9 3/16 × 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268353
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
In this intricate engraving, a towering chariot dominates the composition, drawn by rearing horses and crowded with figures in elaborate ruffs and costumes. A muscular, bearded driver brandishes a whip at the front, while grotesque demons with wings, tails, and serpentine forms swarm around the wheels and canopy. Children and adults gesture in alarm or participation, all set against a turbulent sky and rendered through fine, dense lines that create dramatic contrasts on the ivory-toned paper. Created around 1590 by Pieter Cool, the print titled *Chariot with the Seven Deadly Sins* presents a vivid allegory of moral peril. Such works were common in late sixteenth-century Northern Europe, using striking visual narratives to warn viewers about the consequences