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OLD Art in an Early Global World at WAM: A WAM/College of the Holy Cross Collaboration

The Last Judgment

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The Last Judgment (1923.34)
Tommy Leimkuhler, College of the Holy Cross, Class of 2025

The Last Judgment is understood, in Christianity, to take place at the end of time, when Jesus returns to earth (the Second Coming) and all souls are judged. Here, Jesus’s body displays the wounds from his crucifixion, showing the sacrifice he made as the savior of humanity. A river of fire flows from Jesus’s feet, separating the souls of the blessed on the left, who are fully clothed and kneeling in worship of Jesus, and the souls of the damned on the right, who are naked and beaten by demons. The Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, and angels appear to either side and behind Jesus. While this painting was created in early 14th-century Italy, the materials used to create it came from many faraway places. Blue paint, as seen in the oval-shaped mandorla behind Jesus, could incorporate the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli, mined in Afghanistan. The gold leaf used in Italy often came from the Ghanaian region of Africa, known as “the Gold Coast.”
What does the Floor Mosaic tell us about the medieval globe? 19 plain 2024-03-01T13:05:54-08:00
Maggie McCracken, Class of 2025, College of the Holy Cross
- The mosaic's peacocks and grapes have connections both to paganism and Christianity. This shows that the medieval globe was religiously diverse. Later in the medieval period Christ will be depicted explicitly, such as in The Last Judgement painting.
- Limestone and other valuable materials were extracted within the Byzantine empire and traded to other places. The medieval globe utilized natural resources and was connected in a way that allowed other areas to benefit from local resources.
- Roman traditions of mosaics carried over into the Byzantine Empire. The floor mosaic tells us that the empires and styles of the medieval globe were diverse and shifting. Comparing the WAM's mosaic to another mosaic showing the Byzantine emperor Justinian I's court, also completed in the 500s, we see that mosaics can also decorate walls, and different materials for different effects -- like gold -- could be used.
- The mosaic shows that the medieval globe shared motifs. For example, the late Roman sarcophagus of Constantina (sculpted in the middle 300s CE) shares the mosaic's scrolling vines and strutting peacocks (look at the bottom corners).
- The medieval world supported craftsmen and artists with both public and private commissions.
The Last Judgment: Why was this object made, and how was it used?
Tommy Leimkuhler, 2025

This painting is meant to remind people of their susceptibility to the final judgment. This painting portrays the sacrifice Jesus made as well as the two fates people may face upon their final judgment. In the bottom left hand corner kneel the souls of the saved. In the bottom right corner the souls of the damned weep in torment. These two groups are divided by the river of blood flowing from Christ's wounds. The damned are beaten and tortured by Demons, however, the saved are worshiping Christ. The painting encourages people to follow the path of the saved and live morally while worshiping Jesus. Should they fall out of faith with Christ, then they will be punished.

This painting was probably completed shortly before the plague known as the "black death," which spread across Europe in the late 1340s. Throughout the black death, religion grew in importance, as many viewed the plague as a sign of God’s judgment.

It was not until after this painting was completed that judgment scenes became wildly popular, often used to decorate town halls and courtrooms. By depicting biblical scenes in town halls and courtrooms, leaders and administrators of justice were urged to act morally and shun corruption. While it is unknown where this painting hung, it promoted acts of morality and rejected acts of sin and corruption.