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The Last Judgment
16th century
Stroganoff School
Tempera on wood panel
72 x 44-5/8 in.
This monumental icon is divided into five
uneven, horizontal zones. In the uppermost zone, which is
made up of several parts, is Heavenly Jerusalem with figures
of the church fathers. At the top center, two angels unfold
a scroll with representations of the sun, the moon, and the
stars. Below the scroll sits God the Father surrounded by
the orders of angels called seraphim and cherubim. On the
right is Christ, being blessed by God the Father. To the
right of that, Christ, against a red background, stands
before the throne of God the Father. Farther to the right,
Christ is placed to the right of God the Father. Below them,
the Archangel Michael smites the devils, who fall headlong
from heaven. In the next zone, Christ sits in judgment,
flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist,
pleading for humanity. To the left and right are rows of
apostles. Behind them are rows of angels.
The throne of the millennium attended by two angels appears
in the third zone. On the left are prophets, martyrs, and
saintly women. On the right, Moses, having descended from
Heaven, leads those who do not recognize Christ.
In the fourth zone, beneath the throne, are the scales on
which angels and devils weigh the deeds of a man standing
before them. Emerging from the jaws of Hell is the wriggling
serpent symbolizing evil.
In the fifth zone are scenes of the tortures of Hell, as
well as scenes of death in which the forces of good and evil
vie for the souls of the dying.