Ascending and Descending

By M C Escher

M.C. Escher’s “Ascending and Descending” (c) 2009 The M.C. Escher Company - the Netherlands. All rights reserved. Used by permission. www.mcescher.com

This famous image by M. C. Escher was based upon the Penrose Staircase shown here below. This was devised by Sir Roger Penrose in the nineteen fifties.


Popular lore has it that Escher presented him with an original print of the engraving.

At first glance “Cleaners” would appear to be based on this popular image. Certainly it was my undoubted inspiration! However the construction I have used and the manner of creating the illusion is in fact complelety different. To the best of my knowledge the construction I have used is unique.