Clip Art

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Do you recognize this portion of a painting of a famous biblical story?

1. Noli me tangere by Fra Angelico
2. The Last Judgment by Jan van Eyck
3. The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch
4. The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise by Giovanni di Paolo
5. The Archangel Michael by Dosso Dossi

PUBLIC DOMAIN VIA THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART / CC0 1.0 UNIVERSAL

Answer: (2) The Last Judgment by Jan van Eyck

This oil-on-panel painting, completed between 1436 and 1438, depicts the final judgment of Jesus Christ at the end of time. At the top is Jesus himself, flanked by angels and seated at the head of a great council of saints, apostles, virgins, clergy, and nobility. This scene represents heaven. Just below, the archangel in the center of the image calls forth the dead from land and sea. Below is a grim hellscape into which are cast those not admitted into heaven.

The work is paired with another of Van Eyck’s paintings depicting the Crucifixion (not shown). Together, the two panels form a diptych, that is, a single work consisting of two parts; however, modern research has revealed that they originally served as the two side panels of a triptych or the doors of a tabernacle or reliquary shrine.

Like its counterpart, The Last Judgment measures less than 2 feet in height, showcasing Van Eyck’s extraordinary skill at achieving exquisite detail on a miniature scale. In addition to the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin inscriptions within the painting itself, the wood frame also bears inscriptions of biblical texts in both Latin and Middle Dutch.