Song of Praise in Heaven over the Fall of the Whore of Babylon; The Wedding of the Lamb from an Apocalypse block book, 2nd edition
Medium
Woodcut, with hand coloring, in red, orange, green, gray, and yellow
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 in. × 8 1/16 in. (28 × 20.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan
Accession Number
23.73.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant woodcut from a rare Netherlandish *Apocalypse* block book, circa 1440–1450, captures two dramatic scenes from the Book of Revelation a heavenly chorus praising the fall of the Whore of—a symbol of corrupt worldly power—and the triumphant Wedding of the Lamb, representing union with the faithful. Produced anonymously in the Netherlands during the turbulent late Middle Ages, these images reflected widespread fascination with end-times prophecy amid plagues, wars, and religious fervor. Block books like this second-edition volume were pioneering printed works, where text and intricat...