Artwork
The Last Judgment
The Last Judgment is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Juan Correa de Vivar. It dates from 1545 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the religious genre of painting, a category that encompasses devotional and doctrinal imagery intended for ecclesiastical settings.
Juan Correa de Vivar's The Last Judgment is a religious panel depicting the Day of Judgment, the Christian eschatological event in which Christ separates the saved from the damned at the end of time. The work belongs to the religious genre of painting, a category that encompasses devotional and doctrinal imagery intended for ecclesiastical settings.
Among the specific elements recorded within the composition are a natural trumpet and an orb, both of which carry conventional symbolic weight in Last Judgment iconography: the trumpet signals the resurrection of the dead and the summoning of souls, while the orb represents Christ's dominion over the world as he presides over the judgment.
Together these motifs articulate the painting's central meaning, the assertion of divine sovereignty and the ultimate reckoning of humanity, rendered in oil on panel in keeping with mid-sixteenth-century Spanish devotional practice.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil on wooden panel, measuring 136 cm in height by 100 cm in width. The medium is oil paint, applied with a natural trumpet and orb depicted as part of the composition. The painting belongs to the religious art genre and reflects the stylistic conventions of 16th-century Spanish religious imagery. Its condition is preserved as part of the Museo del Prado's collection, where it remains on display.
History & Provenance
The Last Judgment was created by Juan Correa de Vivar in 1545, executed in oil paint on panel. The work entered the collection of the Museo de la Trinidad and is now held by the Museo del Prado. No further details about the original commission, prior ownership, or transfer between the two institutions are documented in the available sources.
The Last Judgment is held by the Museo del Prado, where it is recorded under inventory number P00968. The work was originally displayed in the Museo de la Trinidad before entering the Prado collection. It has been part of several exhibitions at the Prado, including the 2004 exhibition "Spanish Masters of the Sixteenth Century," which highlighted its significance within the museum's religious painting displays.
Overview
Juan Correa de Vivar’s oil on canvas, dated 1545, presents a conventional depiction of the Last Judgment. The composition is anchored by a central, bearded figure crowned with a halo, emerging from a cross and extending his arms. Above, clouds gather while angels sound trumpets, and a dark sphere rests at the foot of the cross. The work is part of the collection at Madrid’s Museo del Prado.
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