Apocalypse - Renaissance and Reformation

Petrarch sees Laura

Apr 6, 1327

Laura de Noves became the inspiration for 366 Love Songs and a whole tradition of European poetry. The "Father of the Renaissance" struggled with issues which were to frame the course of Humanism for centuries and inspire countless generations of scholars.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Jan 23, 1498

Albrecht Durer's depiction of the Apocalypse creates a sense of rapidly approaching danger. It is part of a set of 15 woodcuts that he did depicting the Apocalyspse. The 4 Horsemen represent Death, Famine, War and Plague. This series brought him fame across Europe. It was published in Nuremburg in German (and Latin).

Last Judgement

Apr 5, 1499

Luca Signorelli paints a massive series of frescoes in a chapel of the Cathedral of Orvieto detailing the Apocalyspe. They influenced Michelangelo's work on his Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel.

Riemenschneider, Altar of the Holy Blood

Jul 8, 1505

Reveals how seriously Germans were taking personal piety and very indicative of the coming Reformation.

St. Peter's Basilica

Apr 18, 1506

This was the starting date for the construction of this massive edifice which would take 120 years to complete.

The School of Athens, Raphael

May 26, 1510

A gigantic fresco depicting the great minds of philosophy, part of a set of 4 he painted in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican and considered his masterpiece.

Erasmus of Rotterdam

Oct 6, 1511

The Praise of Folly was printed in 1511 and became an overnight best seller. The illustrated version by Hans Holbein was published in 1515. This portrait of Erasmus is by Holbein.

The Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo

May 26, 1512

The central image of the magnificent ceiling is the Creation of Adam. The overall scheme suggests that Michelangelo painted the grand sculptured tomb that Pope Julius wanted but couldn't make happen.

Moses by Michelangelo

Jan 1, 1513

Michelangelo depicts Pope Julius II as Moses, for his tomb. The moment is filled with drama, Moses enraged by his people's idol-worship has destroyed the tablets of the 10 commandments, he has asked God to forgive them and to rewrite the Covenant on a new set of tablets which he holds tightly as he awaits the Creator's response.

Pope Julius II

Feb 21, 1513

Pope Julius II, painted here by Raphael, dies.

Crucifixion, Isenheim Altar, Matthias Grunewald

May 23, 1513

Created for a hospital for leprosy and skin diseases in the Abbey of St. Anthony in Isenheim,the image shows the Christ suffering in all his humanity.

Julius excluded from Heaven

Aug 7, 1514

An illustration from Erasmus's dialogue of the same name. The drunken Julius tries to get into heaven using the key to his secret money-box. St. Peter, though a simple, fisherman says that he can only allow in those who have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, tended the sick. He tells him to go build his own heaven.

St. Jerome in his study

Sep 11, 1514

An engraving by Albrecht Durer, one of 3, used to illustrate an edition of Erasmus' Handbook for a Christian Knight, one of his most influential works. The figure of St. Jerome is often seen to be a depiction of Erasmus.

The Fire in the Borgo, Raphael

Oct 5, 1514

Fresco in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. Shows the new pope Leo X, a Medici, as a miracle worker and man of peace.

Luther takes a stand

Dec 8, 1517

He pounded in his 95 theses

The Sack of Rome in 1527

May 6, 1527

by Martin van Heemskerck, a Dutch artist from Delft

Last Supper, Wittenberg, Lucas Cranach the Elder

Feb 13, 1547

Cranach's depiction of the Last Supper includes his friend Martin Luther, at a round table revealing the equality of all believers within the new faith of Lutheranism.

The Crucifixion of St. Peter

Mar 14, 1550

Michelangelo creates this for the private chapel for the Pope.

The Vineyard of the Lord

Dec 5, 1569

Lucas Cranach the Younger painted this more propagandist Protestant piece as a memorial to a Church leader in Wittenberg.