The Last Judgment
by CAMPEN, Jacob van, Oil on canvas, 328 x 203 cm
Van Campen intended to paint a Last Judgment for the Tribunal in the Town Hall he designed for Amsterdam, but the plan was never realised. It is not known whether the painting in Amersfoort is identical with that intended for the Town Hall.
It is a remarkable feature of the painting that Christ’s hands do not show the crucifixion wounds; instead, he holds the bolts of lightning associated with the heathen Jupiter, the ruler of the Olympian deities.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 8 minutes):
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem K 626: Dies irae