Satan’s Body: Religion and Gender Parody in Late Medieval Italy

In late-medieval Italian scenes of the Last Judgment, Satan is a monstrous parody of Christ. These figures are shown to parody not only Christ as ruler, but also the theology of the body of Christ. In particular, the figures of Satan are emasculated, and in some cases they give mock birth to sinners. These Satans confirm the importance of somatization and gender ambiguity in late-medieval Latin Christianity. They also help to explain the Last Judgment as an image: it represents the body of Christ, both historically and institutionally. Examples include the mosaic at Torcello, Giotto’s fresco at Padua, the fresco in the Camposanto at Pisa, the fresco at San Gimignano by Taddeo di Bartolo, and the Satan described by Dante in the Inferno.