XX: Welcome to Hell

We all have our private little hells, but how often do we get to show them to others?  Well, you’re in luck, because in this post, we’re going to Hell (in the form of books, prints, and objet- some of them rather graphic - from The Collection)!  If you want the real thing, you have but to peruse your news feed.

lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate. 

After months of false starts, ennui, distractions, and bouts of melancholia, your intrepid Archivist finally has committed fingertip to pixel.  As for the motivation for selecting this post’s theme, I shall leave it to you to conjecture.  Welcome to Hell.  See you here... Sooner or later. 

Having already paid the Devil his due in a previous post, we’re now touring his estate and visiting his neighbors.  And, at the insistence of my Familiar, several demons shall be included in the mix as well.  Scenes of the Apocalypse will be saved for another time except for a few Last Judgments with scenes of torment just too juicy to resist.  And now, with all good intentions...

Hell-Bound Volumes

Most books about Hell also include the Devil and Heaven in their subject matter.  Despite their splendid imaginings of The Lower Realm (you really have to see it for yourself), this post will exclude those already referenced in Hail Satan!  Even with these exceptions, there are still a sufficient number of blasphemous tomes to amuse and enlighten us. 

Heaven and Hell in Western Art.  1968.

Hardcover book by Rober Hughes.  Stein and Day, New York.  About 22 x 29 cm., 288 pp.

An early, populist entry into the imagery and iconography of Hell (and that abhorrent other place).  This volume contains numerous black and white illustrations from the Medieval and Renaissance periods alongside a few color plates. 

Everyone loves a barbecue...  Well, almost everyone. 

An enquiry into the nature and place of Hell....  2016. (reprint of 1727, London Edition).

Softcover reprint on demand paperback book by Tobias Swinden.  Ecco Print Editions.  About 19 x 25 cm., 508 pp.

For dilettantes and armchair scholars alike, the plethora of cheap reprints of innumerable titles of questionable veracity affords the opportunity to explore academic rabbit holes to our heart’s content.  While codicologically unremarkable, this reprint does provide an early 18th century theological perspective on Morningstar’s pied-à-terre when not roaming about the earth.  Alfo moft ufeful for practicing one’s medial S’s.

A boring cover belies a tedious text. 

 A peek inside. 

Inferno.  2013.

Paperback book by Marcel Ruijters.  The Hoochie Coochie, Netherlands.  About 17 x 22 cm., 128 pp.

Using an ink brush to create a woodcut style, Ruijters shares his version of Dante’s Inferno in this volume.  Here, a nun Danta is guided through a satirical version of Hell by a spectral figure. 

A rather shitty way to treat adulteresses. 

Diableries.  2013.

Slip-cased hardcover book and accompanying “Owl” Stereoscope by Brian May (yes, that Brian May), Danis Pellerin, and Paula Fleming.  London Stereoscopic Company.  About 24 x 32 cm., 104 pp.

This book represents a catalogue of cultural curiosities from the Victorian Era in the form of hellish stereoscopes that were produced in France.  Dioramas of demonic clay figures were assembled and then photographed using a technique that would yield three-dimensional imagery when properly viewed.  An accompanying plastic “Owl” stereoscope enables the viewer to experience these hellscapes in all their glory. 

Complete with a lenticular cover.

Seeing double?

Soul food anyone?

The “Owl” viewing device.

Inferno.  2021.

Softcover book by Jean Clair.  Published by Electa. About 24 x 28 cm., 480 pp.

With appropriately tinged red page-edging, this lengthy exhibition catalogue covers a broad range of hellscapes, through the lens of Signore Alighieri’s homage to Virgil.  The tome is generously illustrated with color images of artwork throughout, ranging from the Medieval Period to the Contemporary.     

A clever typographic reference to Botticelli’s conical map of Hell "graces" the cover.

Souls lost in Hell or Pompeii? 

Here, a poison gas attack during The Great War serves as an apt surrogate for Hell. 

Pandemonium.  2021.

Hardcover book by Ed Simons.  Cernunnos/Abrams.  About 20 x 26 cm., 400 pp.

Well, perhaps not all the demons (I note a few friends absent), but certainly many of them grace the pages of this colorful survey.  A number of imps are depicted in their natural sulphureous environs.  There.  Satisfied, Graymalkin?

A survey of the terrain.

Which way is up?

Satanic Shadows.  2023.

Softcover book edited by G. H. Janus.  Decide Press.  About 22 x 28 cm., 104 pp.

This volume is part of an ongoing series focusing on the early cinema of the outré.  The book provides short reviews with accompanying images of the bizarre and often surrealistic films made during the very end of the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Many gems to be found here. 

One drink too many?

An early rager.

Hades and Tartarus

Before we sink our teeth (and claws) into Hell proper, we’re taking a progenitoric look at the at its Classical antecedents.  While some suggest that Hades and Tartarus are synonymous, the Boeotian Bard (a.k.a. Hesiod) places Tartarus beneath Hades.  Regardless of its location, Tartarus was where punishments were meted out to those deserving or otherwise unfortunate souls.

Aneas Visting the Underworld.  1517.

Woodcut on paper.  Opera Vergiliana...  Lyon.  About 19 x 30 cm.

Prior to our “enlightened” age, Virgil’s Aeneid was one of the most read (and memorized- just as any Latin student) texts in Western literature.  The Roman poet’s epic served as a seminal source for Dante’s Inferno.  This print depicts Aneas’ visit to the underworld from Book VI, wherein the Sibyl of Cumae shows him the sights.  This image represents an interesting synthesis of Classical and Medieval chthonic iconography.  All the important ancient celebrities and influencers are conveniently identified with small banderolls.  From Ixion on the wheel to Tityos bereft of his liver.  In-between the luminaires are scenes that are more stylistically Medieval; illustrating torture executed, as it were, by demons.

Know Your Punishments, A Handy Guide.

A view of the Underworld.  1654.

Engraving by Francis Cleyn on paper.  Publii Virgilii Maronis opera...  London.  About 28 x 43 cm.

Here again, we see Aneas and the Cumaen prophetess, now accompanied by other souls.  They are visited by a who’s who of Classical monsters including a “hundred-handed one” (hey, if the name fits...), centaurs, harpies (the subject, of course, of a future post), and the Gorgon Sisters, whom you no doubt recall from our post on Aggrieved Colubrifera.

One of the great conundrums besetting your Archivist is where to discuss items that may be classified under multiple categories.  Here we have one such example.  While the print illustrates a Cassical scene of Hades, the image is enclosed in a medieval-style Hell mouth.  Please employ the mnemonic system of your choice to recall this print in “Open Wide”, below. 

Greek mythographers were really big on multiples.

Table for three?

Sisyphus in Tartarus.  c. 1733.

Engraving on paper by Bernard Picart Le Romain from Tafereel, of Beschryving van den prachtigen Tempel der Zang-Godinnen.  Published in Amsterdam.  About 25 x 36 cm.

Taking center stage is Camus’ chérie de l'absurde, Sisyphus.  Beset by demons, the former King of Ephyra was one of the many recipients of Zeus’s ire.  In the background are seen other notable residents including Ixion and Tantalus. 

Rock on, dude. 

Every day is leg day.

Hell Proper

You can’t have a scene of Hell without sinners and their torments and, fortunately, The Collection is replete with numerous examples from the ages.  Herein the fiery pits of Perdition are pictured purposely for your pleasure. 

Sinners in Torment.  1483.

Woodcut on paper.  Ulm.  About 20 x 28 cm.

Can you identify all Seven Deadly Sins in this incunabulum?  (hint: dogs don’t always symbolize fidelity, sometimes they represent anger).   

Election of the Reprobate.  Late 16th Century.

Engraving on paper by Adriaen Collaert.  Flanders.  About 13 x 19 cm.

Under the Calvinistic doctrine of damned if you do, damned of you don’t, this print illustrates the concept that God has pre-selected some people for damnation, even before the foundation of the world.  Somewhat akin to the current internment practices in The Colonies as of late. 

Circles of Hell.  1595.

Engraving on paper by Johannes Wierix.  Flanders.  About 19 x 30 cm.

In this didactic print, Johannes has kindly labeled each of the circles of hell for better study.  Your Archivist translates; A. is just dirt, B. is where Abraham and Lazarus reside, C. is kiddie Purgatory, D. is Purgatory proper, and E. where all the action is.  You may wish to commit this map to memory as it might come in handy at some future date. 

A closer look.

The Last Judgment.  1615.

Engraving on paper Petrus de Jode the elder.  France?  About 42 x 49 cm.

This print is from a series of nine that, when assembled, reproduces, in “life” size, a painting by Jean Cousin the younger.  Although technically a Last Judgment, the engraving depicts a world in ruin with devils busily collecting souls for this month’s quota.  No need to go to Hell when it can be brought to you!  (DoorDash take note). 

Soup's on.

The Rich Man in Hell.  1674.

Engraving on paper from Theatrum Biblicum Hoc est historiae Sacrae –veteris et novi testamenti tabulis aeneis expressae' published by Nicolaum Johannis Pisc

atorum.  Amsterdam.  About 37 x 32 cm.

This biblical print illustrates Luke 16: 19-31 (The Rich Man and Lazarus), wherein a rich man receives his just rewards (after having lived a life of luxury with disdain for the poor).  He points to his mouth in a furtive attempt to get something to drink. 

The service here is simply hellacious. 

Earliest known example of demonic photobombing

Scenes of Hell.  c. 1680.

Engraving on paper from (after?) a work by Hieremias Drexel.  Germany.  About 17 x 23 cm.

A bit of a mystery, these small images are based on full-page engravings by Philipp Sadeler from Drexel’s Infernus, damnatorum carcer et rogus... (1631).  Each diminutive panel depicts a unique type of suffering in Hell.

Darkness, Lamenting, and Hunger and Thirst.

Stench, Fire, and Remorse. (aka: too many burritos).

Ill Company, Desperation, The Ever-Turning Wheel of Torment

Satan in Hell.  c. 1700

Engraving on paper by Jacques Valentin Radigues.  Paris.  About 28 x 44 cm.

In this episode of Satan and Friends, the trio reflect on the ramifications of their acts.  Beneath them are two quotes for the day’s meditations (tr. from the French).

Multiply his torments and his tears in proportion to his pride and his pleasures

Criminal pleasures pass in a moment, but punishment lasts forever

Words of wisdom, Lloyd, words of wisdom...

Regulars at the gymnasium sauna. 

Rich Man in Hell.  1737.

Engraving on paper.  De Kapelle der Dooden....  by Abraham a Sancta Clara.   Holland.  About 10 x 16 cm.

Here is a classic rendition of a soul suffering in Hell.  The wretched soul laments, “I suffer wounds in this womb”.

Always flame-broiled.

Sinners in Hell.  1737

Engraving on paper.  De Kapelle der Dooden....  by Abraham a Sancta Clara.   Holland.  About 10 x 16 cm.

Here a passage from Job 19:21 serves as the sinner’s lament; “Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me”. 

Touching indeed.

Three Demons Tormenting a Soul in Hell.  1862.

Woodcut on paper.  La grande Danse Macabre... Paris.  Leaf About 20 x 26 cm, image about 8 x 10 cm.

Recycled several times over, this image was originally printed by Guyot Marchant in 1486 and later by Jehan Lecocq in 1539.  Here it appears in a 1862 celebration of the Dance of Death.  The image depicts three demons tormenting a hapless soul. 

A new way to go clubbing.

The Devil in Hell.  c. 1890

Poster.  Published by La Bonne Presse.  Paris.  About 49 x 68 cm.

This large and colorful poster presents an expansive view of Hell.  At the center, a scale offers “always” and “never” for endpoints. 

A modern Anubis practices his scales.

Open Wide...

The image of the Hell Mouth is thought to have originated in Anglo-Saxon art, representing the entry point into the nether regions.  Clearly animalistic, it may also be related to the voracious wolf of Norse mythology, Fenrir.  The image of the Hell Mouth later appeared frequently in Medieval illuminated manuscripts (and you’d better believe there’s going to be a post about these), most famously in the Hours of Catherine of Cleves (c. 1440). 

The Iconography of the Mouth of Hell.  1995.Hardcover book by Gary D. Schmidt.  Susquehanna University Press.  About 16 x 24 cm. 240 pp.

There are few books on this topic for which there are so many examples in art.  This academic study details the Anglo-Saxon origins of the popular theme.  

What’s in the mouth.

Aneas Visting the Underworld.  1517.

Woodcut on paper.  Opera Vergiliana...  Lyon.  About 19 x 30 cm.

Safely ensconced in a boat piloted by Chiron, Aneas and the Cumaen Sybil observe souls in limbo and in Tartarus.  Beside the indifferent-looking Hell mouth is a cave housing Cerberus. 

Before hot wings were invented. 

Portrait of Thomas Cromwell.  1690.

Engraving on paper by Gaspar Bouttats after the drawings of Henricus Verbruggen.   'Opgang, voortgang, en nedergang, der ketteryen deser eeuwe... by Florimond de Raemond.  Published by H. Verdussen, Antwerp 1690.  About 20 x 32 cm.

As a key figure in the English Reformation, the onetime Earl of Essex, was not particularly popular amongst Catholics of the, wait for it... Counter-Reformation.  In this engraving from a history of Protestant heresy, the former Lord Great Chamberlain’s portrait sits atop a grimacing Hell Mouth.   

A truly toothsome grin. 

Addenda July 2^nd, 2025.

Carnival Procession with Hell Mouth.  1696. Engraving on paper by Martin Klotzel.  Heidnischer Gotter und Gottinnen prachtiger Auffzug, anno 1695. Dresden.  About 73 x 26 cm.

This engraving depicts one of the floats from the classically-themed Carnival held on February 7, 1695, in Dresden.  The lavish fête was produced for Augustus II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony and featured some 20 elaborate floats with accompanying tableau.  This entry features a large Hell-Mouth inside of which are an enthroned Pluto and Persephone, the latter with snaked hair!  Upon the Hell-mouth’s tongue is Cerberus.  Before them is Chiron, who pilots a boat with three corpses destined for the Underworld.  Leading the procession is, of course, Death in the form of dancing skeletons.  In this one engraving are the themes of the Danse Macabre, Death (a future post, of course), The Devil, Snaked Goddesses, and Hell.  Really, what more could one want?

What was that dog’s name?  It’s on the tip of my tongue...

The proper order of things.

Death Feeding Souls to a Hell Mouth.  1862

Woodcut on paper.  La grande Danse Macabre... Paris.  Leaf About 20 x 26 cm, image about 8 x 10 cm.

As noted above, this is a 15th Century woodcut reworked into a 19th Century treatise on the dance of death (for more on this morbid minuet, see The Danse Macabre).

Feeding time.

Narok, et al. 

The need to punish those who evade the consequences of their misdeeds in the mortal plane seems universal.  To believe that evil deeds can go unpunished is intolerable to the public and unhelpful for the potentates that control and regularly abuse their subjects.  Following our infernal survey of Western Hells, we now turn our glazed eyes Eastward.  Please note that your author now leaves the shallow waters of his knowledge of Western culture onto the terra incognita of karmic consequences within Eastern Religions - caveat lector.  

Whereas souls condemned to Christian hells received no reprieve, those in Hinduism and Buddhism were placed in Naraka only temporarily, until such time as their negative actions in life were sufficiently paid for, after which the karmic cycle continued through reincarnation.  This is not to suggest that even a brief stay there was at all pleasant as we shall soon see. 

NAROK catalogue.  2022.

Softcover catalogue with forward by Stephen Bessac.  Le Dernier Cri and Timeless Editions.  About 21 x 30 cm., 224 pp.

A large exhibition catalogue of outsider artists’ visions of Narok hosted by Le Dernier Cri in during the winter of 2021.

A creature walks amonst us. 

A deciddedly totemic demon. 

Tribute to Thai Hell Garden.  2020.

Softcover silkscreened picture book.  Le Dernier Cri.  About 31 x 42 cm., unpaginated, about 56 pp.

Every page of this large volume is composed of a colorful image of Narok as envisioned by a contemporary outsider artist.  That each page is silkscreened in bright hues adds to the impact of the imagery.  

The process of reincarnation? 

Ghouls night out.

Excalibur reimagined. 

Narok.  2019.

Hardcover book by Stephen Bessac.  Timeless.  About 19 x 25 cm. 256 pp.

This volume is essentially a picture book illustrating the holdings of Hell Gardens across Thailand.  Hell Gardens are the equivalent of Buddhist Disneylands where garish and gory sculptures replicate the punishments for unwholesome behavior.  A veritable sourcebook for your erotic nightmares, the volume contains all color images of torment in the form of manuscripts, prints, and large sculptures.

A bridge too far?

Dear Sigmund would have had a field day with this. 

The Fate of Rural Hell.  2012.

Hardcover book by Benedict Anderson.  Seagull Books.  About 15 x 20 cm. 100 pp.

A Western author’s history and account of the curious Hell gardens of Wat Phai Rong Wua in Thailand.  The text is accompanied by 38 color photos.   

He’s but a shell of his former self.

Early inspirations for later gardeners. 

Lessons from Hell.  2018.

Hardcover book by Christopher Pinney.  The Marg Foundation.  Mumbai. About 25 x 31 cm. 136 pp.

This book reviews the didactic prints and posters of 19th and 20th century India, with illustrations showing in graphic color, the wages of sin, or unskillful behavior, if you prefer.  Employing “before and after” diptychs, misdeeds and their complementary punishments are shown together.   

Antecedents.

Befitting a schoolroom poster.

A Hindu guide to dos and don’ts of life and afterlife. 

Hell in Japanese Art.  2018.

Softcover book by Takaoka Kazuya, et al.  PIE International.  About 21 x 30 cm., 592 pp.

As promised by the title, this massive tome reproduces historical scrolls and prints of demons and Hell of Japanese origin. 

Torturing is hard work; ask any demon. 

Comparative Hell.  2022.

Hardcover exhibition catalogue edited by Adriana Proser.  Published by Officina Libraria, Milan. About 22 x 28 cm., 224 pp.

In this well-illustrated catalogue, scenes of Hell from across Asia are reproduced.  The survey covers a wide geographic range, from Afghanistan to the Philippines.   

Nineteenth Century concpets of Hell from a Burmese manuscript.

The Gates of Hell from an early Harat (Afghanistan) manuscript.

Buddhist Hell.  2017.

Uncut sheet of stickers silkscreened on vinyl. About 24 x 34 cm.  by MATS!?

The concept of Narok (or rather the excuse to illustrate graphic scenes of torment) is particularly popular amongst contemporary outsider artists.  Here the karmic punishments are conveniently placed on stickers for easier distribution and erudition. 

Hell Made Manifest – Hell on Earth

Hell isn’t just a concept when you’ve got skilled craftspeople to bring it to “life”.  Why be reminded of what awaits you enclosed in some dusty book when you can contemplate it regularly on the walls of your home or office? 

Demons in Hell.  c. 1980.

Earthenware.  Mexico.  About 25 cm. wide x 29 cm. tall.

This piece of Ochumichuan pottery depicts demons gleefully torturing each other whilst they await the next boatload of souls. 

This dear friend is never far away.

Buddhist Hell.  c. 1990.

Wood roundel by Inysunu Batuan (sic.?).  Bali, Indonesia.  About 46 cm. diam. X 4 cm. deep.

This piece was acquired during your Archivist’s misadventures in Southeast Asia (from which he still retains the scars from a monkey bite as a souvenir).  Here, an intricately-carved tableau graphically illustrates various forms of suffering experienced in Narok. 

A Balinese Romulus and Remus?

The alternate recipe for chicken soup for the soul.  

And this little piggy... oh, never mind. 

Folk Sculpture.  2005.

Wood sculpture by Murob (George Borum).  United States.  About 25 cm. wide x 29 cm. tall

And before we conclude our subterranean sally, we present for your amusement a witty piece of folk art that truly embodies the phrase, “Hell on wheels”. 

---

Thank you for joining this excursion to Hell and back.  I hope that it has in no way dissuaded you from enjoying everything this plane of existence has to offer.  And, of course, remember to sacrifice to Baal every Saturday (especially in such event that you may have made a wager with Mssr. Pascal). 

I wholeheartedly look forward to seeing you at our next entry, wherever that may take us.

Thank you for visiting.

Most sincerely yours,

le Compte Paul Gregoire de Gustibus

“Nothing is but what is not.”