The Last Judgment is a triptych consisting of three panels, created by Hieronymus Bosch after 1482. The triptych currently resides in Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts and features grisaille paintings on the outside shutters while the inside shutters and center panel are oil painted. While it doesn’t follow the traditional narrative sequence from Paradise to Hell, the piece remains one of Bosch’s most famous works.
The central panel depicts Christ as Judge, surrounded by various scenes related to the End Times. To Christ’s left are those who will be judged favorably, while his right shows those who will be condemned to hell. Religious iconography within both panels is often detailed with strange creatures such as demonic birds and mermaids peering out from behind rocks.
But there has been some debate about authorship of this painting over time, with some attributing it to Bosch himself or his workshop or even a collaboration between multiple artists given how long its creation spanned.
Overall, The Last Judgment remains an important artwork that showcases many different religious themes through intricate detail and complex iconography.
