The Last Judgment
Jan Provoost, Netherlandish, 1462/5-1529
The Last Judgment, c. 1505
Oil on wood, 108.5 x 92 cm
Fogg Art Museum
Anonymous gift, and the Kate, Maurice R.,
and Melvin R. Seiden Special Purchase Fund
in honor of Philip A. and Lynn Straus
1997.2
Many Renaissance paintings blur the distinction between the secular and the religious. In the Last Judgment, Christ separates the damned from the blessed. In this painting, that judgment is symbolized by the sword and the lily. Paintings of the Last Judgment were not necessarily religious commissions. They also had secular functions and were frequently placed in courtrooms. In that context, they helped underscore the legitimacy of the courts' authority, while reminding the magistrates of their mandate to remain fair and just, as they too were awaiting Final Judgment.

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