Hell
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 in. × 7 3/16 in. (28 × 18.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.1639(43)
Art Historical Context
Abraham van Diepenbeeck's *Hell* (1655) is a striking engraving that captures the dramatic terrors of the infernal realm, a popular motif in 17th-century European art. Created during the Baroque era in the Spanish Netherlands, this print exemplifies the period's intense focus on religious themes, emotion, and the macabre, often serving as moral warnings amid the Counter-Reformation's fervor. Van Diepenbeeck, a Flemish artist known for his work in painting and printmaking, likely drew on his training in Antwerp—Rubens' orbit—to infuse the scene with vivid, theatrical energy. As an engraving, t...