Judgement Scene with a Bound Prisoner

The German artist Adam Elsheimer spent the last ten years of his life in Rome, where he became acquainted with Pieter Lastman and Jan Pynas. In this rapidly drawn sketch, he skillfully laid out a large-scale judgement scene. His masterful compositions – usually infused with Italian motifs, such as the palazzo in the background here – exerted a tremendous influence on the Amsterdam history painters.