The Last Judgement by Wolfgang Krodel the Elder: Printed Sources, Dating and Provenance of the Painting

Abstract

The subject of the article is the genesis of the Last Judgement by Wolfgang Krodel the Elder, a painting from the collection of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów in Warsaw. The work, dated to 1538, displays strong ties with the art of Lucas Cranach the Elder and his workshop, in particular with the altarpiece from the church of St Wolfgang in Schneeberg. Analysis of particular motifs also reveals a dependence on Michelangelo’s depiction of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. The indication of this source of inspiration, exceptional in Krodel’s art, provokes questions about the reception path and possible meaning of the reference to Buonarroti’s work. This also implies challenging the present dating of the Wilanów painting. The identification of the graphic composition to which the artist referred makes it possible to track the manner of the prototype’s adaptation. The influence of the Italian work, unique in Krodel’s art, is analysed in the context of other 16th-century examples of the reception of Michelangelo’s art in northern Europe.