This page was created by Thomas Leimkuhler. 

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

The Last Judgment: What Does This Tell Us About The Medieval Globe?

Tommy Leimkuhler, College of the Holy Cross, Class of 2025

The Last Judgment can tell us a lot about the medieval globe. When first looking at the painting, the depiction of Christ informs the audience of the importance of Christianity in the Middle Ages. Religion played a prominent role in the medieval globe whether it is connected to the crusades or plagues, and this painting highlights this idea. From the different pigments and materials used in this painting, we can also learn a lot about trade around the medieval globe. The use of Lapis Lazuli in Italian paintings suggests that those in Venice engaged in some form of trade with people in Afghanistan. The use of gold leaf suggests that the Venetian Republic was also connected to the gold coast of Africa. The Republic of Venice played a central role as a hub for trade throughout the medieval globe, and The Last Judgment highlights this in many different ways.

This page has paths:

This page references: