De vervloekten gaan de hel binnen 1575 - 1579

This is Hendrick Goltzius’s engraving, "The Damned Going to Hell," created in the late 16th century during a time of religious and social upheaval. The artwork reflects the anxieties of its time, steeped in the fervor of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. It is a maelstrom of bodies being dragged into the jaws of hell; a vision of damnation featuring a contorted mass of naked figures, each expressing terror and despair. Gender is used here to express an intersectional moment of powerlessness, as women are chained together and pulled downwards, representing the period's patriarchal views where women were often seen as particularly vulnerable to sin. Goltzius grapples with how religious doctrine shapes identities and dictates morality. This image is not just a depiction of a biblical scene but an emotional exploration of fear, punishment, and the human condition under the weight of religious expectation.