Images of chaos cannot truly exist, as they would show the state of the world before its creation. Nevertheless, from antiquity through the Middle Ages to the present day, there have been repeated attempts to visualize what eludes our experience. Interplay with the conceptual history of chaos forces images of chaos to iconic aporias: this book presents a first comprehensive examination of such ideas. From the first depiction of chaos in a provincial Roman mosaic, the field of investigation extends into the 18th century and includes excursions into 19th-21st century art. Chaos images are characterized by entangled pagan and Christian ideas. In the Daoist tradition of China, visual concepts of chaos lead to extremely subtle iconic aporias.

Franz Engel, art historian specializing in the art of the Italian Renaissance, art historiography, and the relationship between art and philosophy; he is now working on the foundations of historical-critical exhibition practice. Former postdoctoral fellow at Bibliotheca Hertziana, Rome, and currently a research associate at the Chair of Early Modern Art, Humboldt University, Berlin.