The Opening of the Fifth and Sixth Seals

Dürer divides the composition into two distinct registers. Above, the souls of the martyrs, gathered beneath the heavenly altar, call for justice, while an angel offers them a white robe, a symbol of purity and eternal glory. Below, the opening of the sixth seal unleashes a cataclysm: the sun darkens, the moon turns blood-red, and a rain of stars falls from the sky.

The earth trembles, as a terrified humanity seeks refuge among the rocks. It is one of the most dramatic scenes in the series, where the order of the world gives way to a vision of total upheaval.