Het Laatste Oordeel (‘The Last Judgement’)

This work is a significant source for the collective memory as it was commissioned by the alderman’s chamber of the Bruges Liberty to replace a ‘Laatste Oordeel’ (Last Judgement) by Gilbert Walins. The piece is set in its original frame and is marked with a monogram and date, therefore holding considerable calibration value. The autographic modello for the ‘Last Judgement’ (location unknown) has been preserved and serves as a key for further attributions. Pourbus based his Last Judgement on that of Michelangelo, but reversed the image, indicating the use of an engraving. However, the painter introduced a number of iconographic innovations, such as the compositional structure as a single dramatic entity, the absence of a heavenly gate, Boschian hellish monsters, and a burning city. Due to the edict of Charles V, it was forbidden to express criticism of the clergy. With his Last Judgement, Pourbus became a pioneer of a tradition that was followed in the second half of the 16th century by artists such as Frans Floris, Maarten de Vos, Chrispiaen van den Broeck, Jacob de Backer and Raphaël Coxie. This work therefore serves as a crucial link in the chain of artistic heritage.