Elias and Enoch Descend from Heaven, from a Quindecim signa extremi judicii diem praecedentia (Antichrist and the Fifteen Signs) blockbook, 1st edition
ca. 1465–1475
Medium
Woodcut printed in brown; retouched by hand in dark brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 13/16 × 7 3/16 in. (12.2 × 18.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of James Clark McGuire, 1930
Accession Number
31.54.191
Art Historical Context
In the turbulent late 15th century, fears of the apocalypse gripped Europe amid plagues, wars, and religious upheaval, this woodcut from an anonymous German blockbook vividly captured one of the "Fifteen Signs Preceding the Day of Judgment Titled *Elias and Enoch Descend from*, it depicts the biblical prophets Elijah and Enoch returning from paradise to confront the Antichrist, pivotal moment in medieval eschatology drawn from texts like the Book of Revelation and apocryphal traditions. As part of the rare first edition of *Quindecim signa extremi judicii diem praecedentia* (Antichrist and the...