''The Last Judgment'' is a

triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided ...

of disputed authorship, either by

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...

, his workshop, or a collaboration between artist and workshop. It was created after 1486. The triptych currently resides at the

Groeningemuseum The Groeningemuseum is a municipal museum in Bruges, Belgium, built on the site of the medieval Eekhout Abbey. It houses a collection of Flemish and Belgian painting covering six centuries, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers. The museum ...

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The outside of the shutters are painted in

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; french: grisaille, lit=greyed , from ''gris'' 'grey') is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many g ...

, while the inside shutters and center are oil on panel.

History

The work belonged to E. Gravet's collection, and then to that of Seligman, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In 1907 it was acquired by A. Bernaert, who donated it to the city of Bruges. In 1936 it was cleaned and was restored again in 1959. On that occasion, the

painting of the external shutters was discovered, although damaged. The painting above the internal frames is lost. The attribution of the work is dubious, due to its mediocre quality. Dendrochronologic analysis dated it from not before 1486. The 2008 movie ''

In Bruges ''In Bruges'' is a 2008 black comedy-drama crime film directed and written by Martin McDonagh in his feature-length debut and starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two London-based Irish hitmen in hiding, with Ralph Fiennes as the ...

'' features the work in a scene where the main characters visit the Groeningemuseum.

Description

The painting's composition has similarities to ''The Last Judgment'' triptych in Vienna and ''

The Garden of Earthly Delights ''The Garden of Earthly Delights'' is the modern title given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel painted by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. It has b ...

'': both show the Garden of Eden in the left panel and Hell at right. As in other contemporary

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

triptychs, the shutters are externally painted in

with a ''Coronation with Thorns''. In the central panel is Christ as a judge within a celestial sphere, flanked by angels who are playing the Trumpets of Last Judgement, and by the apostles. Below him is the punishment of sinners which, like the ''Last Judgement'' of Vienna, continues in the Hell depiction at right. At left is Paradise, where the blessed souls are being shipped to Eden on a boat with a pink tent. The tower is a symbol of the Fountain of Eternal Youth, a more articulate version of which appears in the ''Garden of Delights''. The central panel is mostly occupied by insect-like demons who torture the men, with punishments that include burning, eating impure food (the gluttonous) etc., all inspired by

Netherlandish Proverbs ''Netherlandish Proverbs'' ( nl, Nederlandse Spreekwoorden; also called ''Flemish Proverbs'', ''The Blue Cloak'' or ''The Topsy Turvy World'') is a 1559 oil-on-oak- panel painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that depicts a scene in which humans ...

. The infernal city at right is under siege by demons, while a fire is visible in the far background.

Notes

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Judgment Paintings by Hieronymus Bosch Triptychs 1480s paintings Collections of the Groeningemuseum Paintings depicting Jesus Angels in art

History

Description

See also

Notes

Sources