The Last Judgement

Like most of Fra Angelico's work the iconography is standard for the contemporary treatment of the subject, which was among the commonest for painting in churches, though more often on walls. In the centre of the top of the picture, Christ in Judgement is shown sitting on a white throne with Mary, John, and all the saints judging the living and the dead. He is also surrounded by angels. This depicts him as the ruler of Heaven and Earth, one hand pointing downwards to Hell, the other up to Heaven. The section on the left of the painting shows Paradise. The Seraph Angels here lead the souls of the righteous and pure of heart to a beautiful garden. Here, Paradise is depicted as the Garden of Eden but has a gate with a light, representing Heaven. The section in the middle shows broken tombs. This represents that the dead have come out of their graves and tombs to be finally judged. The right section in this painting depicts Hell. The painting depicts the Demons of Hell torturing the souls of the wicked. The very bottom shows Satan chewing on some of the souls.

The Last Judgment , a tempera on panel painting,  was commissioned by the Camaldolese Order for the newly elected abbot, the humanist scholar Ambrogio Traversari. It is variously dated to c1425,1425-1430  and 1431. It was originally sited in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli and now is in the museum of San Marco, Florence. It is not to be confused with another Fra Angelico Last Judgement in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.

Elevated in the deep azure sky and surrounded by concentric rings of cherubim and angels, Christ sits on a glowing bank of clouds as he judges the world. He is flanked by the interceding figures of John the Baptist and the Virgin. Rows of saints and prophets, identified by their distinctive attributes, varied expressions and brilliantly coloured mantles, sit suspended on clouds in the heavens. A long row of tombs leads to the distant horizon, bisecting the valley below. To the right of Christ, the Blessed kneel in adoration, their faces radiant with the love of God, as angels dance in a circle in the verdant vegetation of Paradise. Golden rays of light stream through the open gates of the City of God and illuminate the white gowns of the Blessed seeking entry. To Christ's left, demons with pitchforks drive the agonized Damned into the mouth of a mountainous Hell. The ghastly torments that await them are portrayed within its flaming circles, where naked sinners, some strangled with snakes, suffer for their transgressions.

The abundance of figures (270 in all), nuanced evocation of their emotions, descending perspective of the row of tombs and ascending landscape reveal a mastery of narrative and space that was unprecedented in Angelico's small-scale works.

this work is linked to Matthew 25:31-46 ESV - The Final Judgment