The Destroying Angel, 1889

Ensor repeatedly depicted the downfall of the world in paintings, drawings and prints. "The Destroying Angel" may have been inspired by the caricature 'The Czar', which appeared in the magazine Egalité on 6 October 1886. The galloping figure in the centre of the picture plane can hardly be considered a real angel, and is more reminiscent of the Germanic Walküren. The story goes back to a passage from the Book of Revelation, which mentions a rider on a fiery-red horse, sword in hand, who is bringing disaster into the world.