Potere e immagine dell’Inferno barocco:
due libri sull’iconografia diabolica

Abstract: The paper examines two recent books on the representation of the devil in literature and iconography, with a special focus on the Modern Age. In the clash of powers that divided the Western world between the 16th and 17th centuries, an important role was played by the representation of hell, considered a counter-kingdom of sin, a manifestation of the dark forces that threatened every believer and the whole of Christendom. The heavenly battle between faithful and rebellious angels also symbolized the religious and political struggle between Catholicism and heresy.