Purgatory and Death

http://www.godecookery.com/macabre/holdod/holdod48.htm

XLVIII. The Last Judgment
Christ sitting on a rainbow, and surrounded by a group of angels, patriarchs, &c., rests his feet on a globe of the universe. Below are several naked figures risen from their graves, and stretching out their hands in the act of imploring judgment and mercy.

Text from the 1947 Sylvan Press edition

This picture is from Hans Holbein’s The Dance of Death. This picture does well to describe what purgatory is like. Purgatory is a place in between death and the living. It is where people need to be forgiven for their sins before they are to go to Heaven or if not, Hell. Some say, it’s a place where spirits are given the chance to solve things in the living world. From this picture, it shows that the spirits are begging for forgiveness. The people from below are the deceased and the man on top is God with his angels behind him.

http://www.godecookery.com/macabre/gallery4/macbr95.htm

95. Infernal punishment for the Seven Deadly Sins: the envious are immersed in freezing water. From Le grant kalendrier des Bergiers, printed by Nicolas le Rouge, Troyes, 1496.

Even though the description of the picture says they are in freezing water, I kind of want to think that this could be hell, or if not, purgatory where the spirits are floating and wants to be saved from the emptiness. Their hands reaching up signifies to me that they are calling out to go which makes me think that they are wanting forgiveness and are repenting for the sins they have done in their lives. It really is a disturbing picture and an interesting way to picture hell or purgatory. It looks painful and not a place I want to be.
http://www.godecookery.com/macabre/gallery1/macbr24.htm

24. Christ breaking down the gates of Purgatory. French, 13th century. Drawing after a miniature in a manuscript.

I found this picture to be very interesting. It does not look like a purgatory I imagined at all but it’s nice to see people in purgatory having forgiveness and mercy. There are many interesting aspects about this picture that I don’t know what to say about them. The rat creature in the corner looks like it is eating children or kept them as if that was the children’s purgatory and also, Jesus is stepping on a monster like thing. There are many things going on but it a very a cool picture to look at and try to figure out.
http://www.godecookery.com/macabre/gallery1/macbr30.htm

30. Condemned souls of sinners are carried by demons to their place of punishment. Milan, 14th century. Drawing after a miniature in a manuscript.

This is another interesting picture. I guess from being an earlier picture, it is hard to understand what exactly is going on but this picture explains the picture before this a lot. The rat like thing is a place of punishment which could be Hell or purgatory. The people looked depressed and the demons are very monstrous.


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