Descent into Hell
According to the strict logic of the sequence of panels, the Descent into Hell should be viewed at the end after the scenes confirming the Resurrection. This interpretation, of course, contradicts the order of the gospel narrative!
The key to understanding this strange “leap” lies again in the dramatizations of the Easter liturgy. The Descent into the Abyss was often performed at the end, concluding the entire cycle of Easter celebrations. The depiction of hell itself is theatrical – though in a slightly different sense. Fallen angels, which seem quite bland in medieval treatises, surprise with their extraordinary hybrid forms and rainbow colors in the St. Mary’s altarpiece. Yet, they are more intriguing than terrifying.
3D models
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