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Manufacturer
Jan ProvoostPeriod and date
16de eeuwMASTERPIECE
It is not just the painting, but also the frame of the Last Judgement that makes an impression on the viewer. We know from the city accounts that Jacob Kempe crafted the frame. In fact, he was paid for tleveren ende maken van den houttewerke van den tavereele daerinne tOirdeel ghescildert es – the supply and making of the woodwork for the painting in which The Judgement is painted’. It is not known whether he designed it himself or made it to an artist’s design, possibly Jan Provoost or Lancelot Blondeel. What we do know, however, is that it has been loved for generations. According to old sources, in the 19th century, the cresting of the frame was reused for a cabinet in the mayor’s office. According to the same source, the shield in the crest had Charles V’s coat of arms painted on it, along with the Pillars of Hercules and the motto ‘plus oultre’. Unfortunately, these elements were lost in the course of the many modifications to the frame. It was not until 1934 that the frame was transferred to the museum and reunited with the painting that it was made for.
