Hans HolbeinGerman, 1497–1543The Last Judgment
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Last Judgment” now? Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Cleveland, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
In this final, dramatic episode in Hans Holbein’s Dance of Death series Christ sits on high, surrounded by heavenly figures, poised to send the resurrected dead to their ultimate destinations of heaven or hell. The end of humanity’s time on Earth connects with its beginnings: bodies here are as naked and vulnerable as those of Adam and Eve at the Creation. Awakened from their graves and reanimated, the dead raise their hands beseechingly to Christ. Those judged to have lived virtuously will go to their resurrection, a sort of spiritual rebirth in heaven, while the sinful face eternal torment.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Details
- Accession number
- 1929.170
In the catalog
Sources
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art — Museum open access
In the life of Hans Holbein
The whole life1524
Journey to France
He visited France, probably in search of work at the court of Francis I; there he may have seen the portrait drawings of Jean Clouet, whose technique of drawing in colored chalks he adopted.
1526
Departure for England on Erasmus's Recommendation
On the advice of Erasmus of Rotterdam he set out for England in search of work, visiting France and the Netherlands on the way; Erasmus recommended him to Thomas More.
1526
Received into Thomas More's Humanist Circle
In England he was received by Sir Thomas More, who found him a series of commissions; in the humanist circle Holbein quickly won a high reputation. More wrote to Erasmus: "Your painter is a wonderful artist."
August 1528
Return to Basel, Purchase of a House
He returned to Basel and bought a house in the St. Johanns-Vorstadt, becoming a neighbor of the publisher Hieronymus Froben; in 1531, having grown wealthy from his English commissions, he bought the adjoining house as well.
