The hellmouth, set design from 'Il Pomo D'Oro'

A wide etched and engraved stage design shows a hellmouth formed by two enormous, glaring faces with rolling clouds and smoke above. Small winged figures tumble through a fiery sky, while a tiny boat crosses a dark strip of water at the base beneath a frame of jagged teeth-like forms.

Look closer: A small signature inscription appears in the bottom-left corner beneath the scene.

Artist

Mathäus Küsel

Date

1668

Medium

Etching and engraving

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3627 × 2217 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953