Why This Symbol is One of the Most Compelling in Art

A trove of souls, justice and star signs

The Last Judgment triptych (between c.1466 and c.1473) by Hans Memling. Oil on panel. 223.5 × 306 cm. National Museum, Gdańsk, Poland. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Take a moment to admire this extraordinary painting, in which the winged Archangel Michael appears at the centre of a landscape, bearing a pair of weighing scales. Made by the Netherlandish artist Hans Memling in about 1470, the altarpiece gives us a full panorama of the ultimate arbitration, turning the…