Jan van Brussel: Dual Justice

Jan van Brussel created this narrative painting in Maastricht around 1475.

Jan van Brussel created this narrative painting in Maastricht around 1475. The panel most likely hung in the Dinghuis, which was used as the supreme court around the same time. The painting seamlessly aligns with the function of this place. At the top, we see Jesus as the heavenly judge during the Last Judgment. Those he deems worthy are with him in heaven, while sinners are banished to the hellfire at the bottom right.

On the lower left, we witness earthly justice. In a courtroom, a poor and a rich man await the judges' verdict. Behind the judges, the devil tempts them to rule in their own favor. In the center, Archangel Michael warns the judges by pointing to hell, indicating what awaits them in case of an unfair judgment. The painting serves as a reminder to the magistrates to exercise their profession justly. The Maastricht origin is evident from no less than three coats of arms. One is immortalized in stained glass, the city maiden on the capital bears the second one, and the last one adorns a brooch worn by one of the magistrates. The cityscape in the middle is one of the earliest depictions of Maastricht.

In the seventeenth century, Maastricht's judiciary as well as the panel moved to the new city hall on the market square. In 2018, conservators from SRAL The Conservation Institute started with the necessary extensive restoration. It was their task to come as close as possible to the original vision of the artist. During the restoration, restorers found traces of their predecessors: a large part of the surface had already been overpainted in 1599. Additionally, in the nineteenth century, the work was somewhat clumsily restored by a local artist.

The conservators removed numerous layers of overpainting. The more recent retouches were easily removed. The older ones, however, the older were more persistent. It also raised ethical questions: should an overpainting from 1599 be removed? Where possible, the painting conservators exposed the original paint layer and original details. If this would lead to paint loss, they left the overpainting intact. The seven vertical planks had started to ‘warp’ independently, causing breaks in the paint surface. To fix this, all planks were detached and reattached. The painting now responds to climatic fluctuations as a single entity. After the completion of the restoration in 2020, the city of Maastricht lent the painting on a long-term basis to the Bonnefanten. Here, it reminds visitors of the history of Maastricht's judiciary and the importance of a fair judgment.

Jan van Brussel, Dual Justice, ca. 1475-1477, oil on panel, Bonnefanten Collection, on long-term loan from the Municipality of Maastricht, inv. nr. 1006353. Photo by Peter Cox.