The Last Judgment Triptych

attributed to Cornelis Cort after a follower Hieronymus Bosch

National Gallery of Art

Printed with delicate black lines and shading on cream-white paper, three roughly continuous scenes packed with people and imaginary, nightmarish critters recreate the look of three panels in this horizontal engraving. The central panel is twice as wide as the side wings, and the panels are framed with borders with molding. In the left panel, a multi-tiered architectural structure with rows of arches and tracery floats on clouds in the upper half of that panel. Inside the structure, human-like figures sit or stand beneath arches and on balconies. Below, nude men and women as well as robed, winged angels gather or lounge in a garden-like setting that includes a tent, a boat on a winding river, and a fountain. The central panel depicts a chaotic and crowded battle scene. Piles of humans and fantastical creatures are engaged in conflict across rocky terrain. Winged angels, many with weapons, fight the demons. In the background, a cylindrical stone tower leans to the right. Smoke rises from distant fires, possibly out on a body of water. The people who are shown are often in contorted positions or reaching for help. The right panel continues the tumultuous imagery, but instead of battle, it depicts scenes of torment and disarray. Humans interact with strange, animal-like creatures and spinning wheels, cauldrons, and other oversized tools. A toad-like creature wearing a papal costume sits on a throne and oversees the scene near the center of this panel. People hang from gallows on the rocky terrain beyond. Two printed signatures appear in the printed images. In the lower left corner of the leftmost panel, an inscription reads, “HIERONYMVS BOS INVENTOR.” In the lower right of the central panel, text reads, “HIERONYMVS COCK EXCVDE.” Two lines of Latin text are printed below each panel. To the left, “IVSTORVM ANIMAE IN MANV DEI SVNT, NEC AT TINGET ILLOS CRVCIATVS.” Under the central panel, “TOLLITE O PORTAE CAPITA VESTRA AT TOLLIMINI FORES SEMPITERNAE VT INGREDIATVR REX ILLE GLORIOSVS.” And in the lower right, “IMPII ABITABVNTVR PRO COGITATIONIBVS SVIS, VT QVI A DNO DEFECERINT.”