The Last Judgement with a Deësis

Hispano-Flemish, early 16th century (restored in 1988)
Tempera (?) on panel
Full panel: 295 x 205 in. (750 x 520 cm.)
Church of St. Nicholas, Burgos, Spain

1. Upper register, left half:
The photograph shows only the left side of the upper register, with Mary imploring her son for mercy in the Last Judgment (indicated by the trumpet). The gesture at her breast reminds Christ of the humanity he derived from her. Unphotographed on the right side is John the Baptist, also urging mercy. The trumpets, a common element in Last Judgment images, are from Revelation 8:1-2 et seqq.. The green arc, seen only partially in this photograph, is the emerald rainbow of Revelation 4:2-3.

2. Lower register:
This subject, the weighing of souls at the last judgment, is also referred to as the Psychostasy. There is a similar Psychostasy, with St. Michael defeating a demon who is trying to pull down one of the scales, in the Last Judgment relief on the north tympanum of Burgos Cathedral, a few steps from the church of St. Nicholas.

Read more about the Deësis.
Read more about images of St. Michael the Archangel.
Read more about images of the Last Judgment.

Sources: Details of size, date, and provenance: guidebook provided by the church.
Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.