The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Vials of Wrath (Bamberg Apocalypse)

The image is divided into two horizontal registers against a gold leaf background. In the upper register, three winged angels in flowing robes stand on a green horizon, each tilting a conical vial downward to pour a thin stream of orange liquid. The lower register depicts a chaotic scene on Earth: three figures stand in alarm, looking upward, while a dragon and a beast stand among them. Two frogs are shown mid-air, issuing from the mouths of these beasts, while a haloed figure (presumably John the Evangelist) stands on the right holding a book, observing the events. A small sun-like orb containing a bust of a figure is positioned in the upper left of the lower register.

This illumination is part of the Bamberg Apocalypse, a 11th-century manuscript reflecting Ottonian artistic traditions and the eschatological preoccupation with the Book of Revelation. It illustrates the pouring of the vials, which brings plague and demonic influence to Earth, a central motif in medieval apocalyptic theology.