The Whore of Babylon
Virgil Solis, 1565 · Revelation 17:1
The passage
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Revelation 17:1
About this woodcut
A woman rides a beast with seven heads, sitting side-saddle, dressed like a noblewoman with a jewelled headdress. She holds a covered cup up in her right hand. On the left a group of kings and a bishop stand and look at her. The town behind is an ordinary German town.
The cup is raised, not offered, and it is lidded, so you cannot see what is in it. That is more disquieting than showing the contents would have been. Solis has dressed her expensively and drawn her calmly. She is not a monster in this picture, which is precisely the warning the chapter is making.
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