Last Judgement Altarpiece (open);

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Title	Last Judgement Altarpiece (open);
Title Alternative	interior, Beaune Altarpiece;
File Name	civ metadata CID; Civ Archive 025 correct picture; 98400549.jpg
Copyright Status/Owner	Public Domain; Actively Pursuing
Rights (Patron Usage Instructions)	http://www.lib.byu.edu/genericnote_copyright.html
Course	HIST 201
Lecture Number	29
Professor	Wright, David Curtis, 1960-
Description	In this impressive altarpiece, Rogier van der Weyden produced an innovative representation of a common theme, Christ’s Last Judgment of humankind. Commissioned by Chancellor Nicolas Rolin for the Hôtel-Dieu (hospital) he had established in Beaune, this polyptych had various functions. In addition to demonstrating the piety and generosity of Rolin, who is depicted along with his wife kneeling in prayer on the cover, the altarpiece was also meant to aid in patient treatment. General beliefs of the time attributed horrific physical and mental maladies to God’s displeasure; thus, in an effort to overcome what they saw as divine punishment, the sick, and those wishing to avoid illness, prayed to patron saints as part of their treatment. Saint Sebastian and Saint Anthony, both seen as intercessors for curing or warding off the plague, are painted on the exterior cover. This ambitious work was intended to rival Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece in both scale and splendor, an aim that is made clear by Rogier’s choice to adopt the composition and program of that altarpiece's cover. However, in the interior, Rogier created a unique depiction of the Last Judgment, a theme commonly treated in art of the time. Scenes, like this one, depicting an apocalyptic vision of Judgment Day were often intended to warn against sin by illustrating the potential fate of those who turned away from the Christian Church. Rogier did include some traditional Gothic compositional elements: Christ as Judge seated on a rainbow surrounded by angels bearing instruments of the passion, St. Michael weighing the souls of men, the intercessors Mary and John the Baptist flanked by the apostles and various saints, and the nude figures of resurrected humankind. However, by eliminating certain elements, such as the battle between angels and demons for the souls of the resurrected as well as the horrific torments executed upon the wicked by devilish creatures in hell, Rogier provides a distinctive, and rather bleak, interpretation of this monumental event. The resurrected men and women are led to their salvation or damnation according to their own consciences, and in Rogier’s depiction, the majority are driven toward the flaming pit of hell. Although Christ judges with justice and mercy, as signaled by the sword and lily emerging from his face, very few of the resurrected enter paradise, symbolized by the elegant Gothic cathedral in the far left panel. Throughout his career, Rogier excelled in depicting the inner feelings and emotions of people and here he expresses the internal struggles of the soul. For those dying or solely afflicted with physical ailments, the Last Judgment was a reminder of the larger issues beyond this mortal life and the possibility of eternal joy and peace.
Creator	Weyden, Rogier van der, ca. 1400-1464
Country	Flanders
Geographic Region	Europe
Type	Slide
Platform	Cross-Platform
File Size	591.368 KB
Genre	Paintings
Category	Art
Keywords	van der Weyden, Rogier; Last Judgement; Northern Renaissance;
Time Period	Early Northern Renaissance
Date Range	1400 AD : 1460 AD
Date Original	1448 AD
Date Digital	2005-03-29
Metadata Entry Date	2009-08-12
Quality	High
Contributors	Brigham Young University
Edition	Electronic reproduction;
Format	JPEG
Owning Institution	Musée de l'Hotel-Dieu, Beaune
Physical Description	88 x 215 in.
Publisher Digital	Brigham Young University
Source	Early Flemish Painting p. 72-73; Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya, Gardner's Art Through the Ages, 12th ed., vol 2 (Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005), 555; James Snyder, Northern Renaissance Art, 2nd ed., revised by Larry Silver and Henry Luttikhuizen (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005), 126-128.
Use Time	0:00:00

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