It is rare today – at the start of the 21st century – for the work of a late Medieval painter to have the power to fascinate or shock us. An exception is the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch who was active in the transition from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance. His most famous work is   the “Garden of Earthly Delights”, which currently resides at the Prado Museum in Madrid. The Vienna “Last Judgement Triptych” is the second largest painting attributed to Hieronymus Bosch and a masterpiece of art from the period around 1500.

With this work, Hieronymus Bosch created a winged altarpiece whose form was dictated by the liturgical requirements of the Roman Catholic service. During the week the wings of the altar remained closed so that only their painted outer sides were visible. Two saints are depicted in shades of grey. This type of painting is known as Grisaille. There is a considerable contrast between the outside, which is painted entirely in grey, and the colourful richly detailed interior.

During mass on Sundays and holidays the wings were opened to reveal the whole visual narrative of the inner and middle panels to the congregation.