1578-80
Oil and tempera on pine panel, detail size 29 x 24 cm
National Gallery, London
The figure clad entirely in black is doubtless identifiable as King Philip II. Behind him the cavernous jaws of Leviathan open up to swallow those condemned to Hell. Behind the mouth of Hell is an archway with a bride from which small figures are being flung into e fiery abyss under the direction of two riders on horseback. This scene has sometimes been interpreted as a visualisation of Purgatory, the realm of purification where the souls of those who have died in sin await entry to Paradise.
