Lot Essay
This is the closing image of the Apocalypse. The war over Heaven and Earth is won and the devil is about to be locked away for a thousand years. The sky is again populated by birds rather than sword-wielding angels and demons. On the hilltop, an angel points toward the Heavenly City of Jerusalem, with its gates guarded by other angels. To emphasise the proximity of these events Dürer pictures the city as a Franconian town, a Nuremberg by the sea.
As the last plate of the series, this woodcut was never printed with any text on the verso, as the accompanying text was printed on the verso of the previous page.
As the last plate of the series, this woodcut was never printed with any text on the verso, as the accompanying text was printed on the verso of the previous page.