| The Last Judgment | |
|---|---|
 The Last Judgment (lower part missing) | |
| Artist | Hieronymus Bosch |
| Year | c. 1482 |
| Type | Oil-on-woodtriptych |
| Dimensions | 163.7 cm × 242 cm (64.4 in × 95 in) |
| Location | Academy of Fine Arts,Vienna |
The Last Judgment is atriptych by theEarly Netherlandish artistHieronymus Bosch, created after 1482.
The triptych is now in theAcademy of Fine Arts inVienna,Austria. The outside of the shutters panel are painted ingrisaille on panel, while the inside shutters and the center panel are painted in oil. The left and right panels measure 167.7 x 60 cm and the center panel measures 164 x 127 cm. It is not to be confused with either a fragmented piece of art by Boschunder the same title (now atMunich), or anotherfull painting by Bosch, possibly by a painter in his workshop.[1]
The left panel shows theGarden of Eden: at the top God is shown seated in Heaven, while theRebel Angels are cast out of Heaven and transformed into insects. At the foot of the panel, God createsEve from the rib ofAdam. In the mid-ground Eve is tempted by the Serpent. Towards the center of the panel, Adam and Eve are chased by the Angel into the dark forest. In the central panel, Jesus judges the souls while surrounded by the Saints. The right panel shows ahellscape, where the wicked are punished.
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The oldest mention of the painting is in a 1659 inventory ofArchduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria's collection, as by "Hieronimo Bosz". In the late 18th century, the work was acquired by count Lambert-Sprinzenstein, from whom it later went to the current location. In the 17th-18th centuries, the triptych has been widely repainted and has lost part of the colors[citation needed].
Some art historians[2] identified this work as that acquired byPhilip I of Castile in 1504, while others deny this.Dendrochronologic analysis proved that the painting was executed not before 1482[2] There is copy of the work, attributed toLucas Cranach the Elder, in theGemäldegalerie ofBerlin.
The painting's composition has similarities with theHaywain Triptych orThe Garden of Earthly Delights: both also show the Garden of Eden in the left panel and the Hell at right. The central panel depicts aLast Judgement, in a more obscure atmosphere than the Hell one.
Like in other contemporaryFlemish triptychs, the shutters are externally painted ingrisaille, depicting two saints. At left isSt. James in pilgrimage within a wicked land with a hanged man (perhaps a reference to some episode in theGolden Legend); at right is insteadSt. Bavo, the patron of Flanders, donating to the poor with his hawk on his left wrist.
One of the characters in the latter panel, the old woman with a child, appears in a drawing attributed to Bosch, now in aSan Francisco private collection.[2]
The left panel depicts theGarden of Eden of biblical history, as a green landscape in the lower three-quarters. In the upper section Bosch portrays God sitting on his throne, surrounded by a luminous halo.[2] Around him is a cloudy sky, with angels fighting rebellious angels who are turning into devils as they fall.
Below are, reading from the bottom, God creating Eve from Adam's rib, with Adam sleeping at her feet; the Serpent tempting Eve and thetree of the knowledge of good and evil; and, finally, Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden by an angel, who holds a sword, into a dark forest.[2]
The central painting depicts aLast Judgement, based on John'sBook of Revelation. Above is Christ as a judge, surrounded by theVirgin Mary,John the Evangelist and the apostles. The celestial zone, painted in a bright blue, contrasts with the rest of the panel, which is occupied by a dark brownish punishment of the Damned, while the Blessed occupy only a small portion.
The punishments come from monstrous creatures of Hell: the damned are burned, speared, impaled, hung from butcher hooks, forced to eat impure food (the Gluttonous), or subjects to cogs of bizarre machines. This scene has strong similarities with the right panel in Bosch'sGarden at theMuseo del Prado.
Thematically, the hell at right is not different from the Last Judgement.[3]Satan, in the center, receives the damned souls. The torture scenes continue in this panel, within a dark landscape dominated by flames and devilish figures.
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