Religious, Schedel, Nuremberg Chronicle, Final Judgement
“Ultima etas mundi” — The Last Judgment
The Last Judgment — Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, Saint John, Heaven and Hell
Original 15th-century woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle (Liber Chronicarum / Weltchronik) by Hartmann Schedel, printed by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg in 1493. This is from the first Latin edition of one of the most celebrated illustrated books of the early printing era.
The dramatic woodcut depicts Christ at the Last Judgment, seated at the center with a lily and sword symbolizing mercy and judgment. He is flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist, who intercede for humanity. Two angels below Christ sound their trumpets as the dead rise and humanity is divided according to its fate.
At lower left, the saved souls gather and proceed toward Heaven, while at lower right the damned are driven toward Hell, where grotesque demons await them. The densely populated scene is filled with expressive figures, angels, demons, the resurrected dead, and symbolic imagery characteristic of late medieval Christian art.
The page bears the heading “Ultima etas mundi” (“The Last Age of the World”) and contains Latin text. The verso is identified as folio CCLXV (265)
The Nuremberg Chronicle, first published in 1493, is among the greatest illustrated books of the incunabula period. Its approximately 1,800 woodcut illustrations were produced by the workshop associated with Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, making the work an important landmark in the history of European book illustration and early printing.
Condition: The upper-right corner of the margin has been supported with an old paper underlay. The lower-left corner and lower margin have creases. Otherwise, the sheet shows only minimal traces of age and use.
Dimensions: 44 × 27 cm (17.3 × 10.6")