Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514), “”Ultima Etas Mundi,”” from the “”Nuremberg Chronicle,”” Nuremberg, 1493. This stunning woodcut depicts the Last Judgment. Christ presides over the scene, on the rainbow and orb, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John, with the lily of mercy and the sword of justice at his head. Below, angels and devils wake the dead from their graves to be led to Heaven and Hell, respectively; in a particularly vivid vignette, one devil drags a sinner out of their grave by the hair. Latin text along the verso describes “”De extremo iudicio ac fine mundi,”” the final stage of the Last Judgment.

The “”Nuremberg Chronicle’s illustrations were cut by Michael Wolgemuth and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff; there has been some scholarly speculation that Albrecht Durer also had a hand in these woodcuts.

Early handwritten notes along the top.Sheet; height: 18 in x width: 12 1/2 in.