Analysis of the Last Judgement at the Cathedral of Autun

Initial Observations and Context

Dr. Zucker begins by discussing the terrifying prospect of Hell as depicted in medieval art, focusing on the Last Judgement scene on the doorway of the Cathedral of Autun.
Dr. Harris emphasizes it as perhaps the most terrifying image of the damned in Hell in art history.
The sculpture includes Heaven but the focus is often on Hell.
One of the first monumental sculptures made in the Medieval period, a revival from the ancient monumental sculptures in Greece and Rome.
Around 1000 AD, political and economic stabilization allowed for monumental sculptures to flourish again.

There was a significant building boom of churches in Europe, driven by the need to house relics of saints, attracting pilgrims.
Dr. Harris notes that the Cathedral of Autun was built specifically to house the bones of St. Lazarus, sister church of Mary Magdalene.
Relics were believed to heal sickness, offer blessings, and shorten time in purgatory, thus attracting economic prosperity through pilgrims.
Focus on Lazarus symbolizes rebirth and hope after death, tying to the Last Judgement theme.

The images acted as a sermon in stone, educating the illiterate medieval populace through visual storytelling.
Dr. Harris outlines the hierarchy in the sculpture, with Christ as the central, largest, and symmetrical figure symbolizing judgement.

Christ's figure is emphasized with a larger-than-life presence and linear, flat depiction.
He is surrounded by four angels holding up a mandorla— a full-body halo-like shape indicating divinity.

On Christ's right, scenes depict the blessed in Heaven including the Virgin Mary and angels welcoming souls.
On Christ's left, the damned souls being tortured in Hell, illustrative of medieval horror imagery.
Dr. Zucker describes the depiction of demons and tortured souls in Hell.

St. Michael weighs souls against demons attempting to tip the scales, symbolizing morality's weight.
There are depictions of the faithful emerging from graves and awaiting judgement, signifying resurrection.

A clear division between the blessed and the damned, with terrifying details like a demon dragging souls with hooks and expressive, contorted figures recognizing their doomed fate.

The phrase “Gislebertus hoc fecit” historically believed to reference the artist, but recent scholarship suggests might refer to Duke Gislebertus who brought St. Lazarus’ bones to Autun.

Despite uncertainty about the artist's identity, the artwork's power and influence remain undoubted.