The Angel with the Key of the Bottomless Pit, from The Apocalypse

The Angel with the Key of the Bottomless Pit, from The Apocalypse is a pivotal work created by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) between 1496 and 1498. This dramatic composition is one of the fifteen large-format woodcuts that comprise Dürer’s revolutionary series illustrating the Book of Revelation. Executed as a woodcut in black on buff laid paper, the print demonstrates the artist’s unparalleled ability to elevate the medium from a simple illustrative technique to a sophisticated vehicle for high art. Produced early in the artist’s career in Nuremberg, this series fundamentally altered the history of prints in Germany and across Europe.

The image depicts the moment described in Revelation 9:1-2, where a mighty angel descends to earth, receiving the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. Dürer renders the scene with intense psychological drama and meticulous detail, characteristic of the finest German draughtsmanship of the era. The density of line work, achieved through expert cross-hatching and varying thickness of cut lines, generates a powerful sense of light, shadow, and impending doom, particularly in the rendering of the tormented figures below. This mastery of the woodcut technique allowed Dürer to distribute his work widely, contributing to his eventual international fame. This notable example of The Apocalypse series resides in the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is classified as a significant historical print. While prints from this era are sometimes accessible in the public domain, the exceptional quality and historical provenance of this particular impression make it a cornerstone for understanding the early Renaissance period.