page_title: Allegory of the Good and Bad Judge
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Allegory of the Good and Bad Judge / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Detail of an angel in the Allegory of the Good and Bad Judge, 15th-century fresco in the old Town Hall and Courthouse building in Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal. Português: Pormenor de um anjo na Alegoria do Bom e do Mau Juiz, fresco do século XV no antigo edifício dos Paços do Concelho e Tribunal de Reguengos de Monsaraz, em Portugal.
context_page_description: The Good and the Bad Judge is a c. 15th-century fresco panel decorating the audience chamber of the old town hall of the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, a medieval town situated in the south of Portugal, near the border with Spain. The distinctiveness of its iconography makes it a unique and rare artwork in the context of European Renaissance painting.
  It was casually discovered during renovation works in 1958, as it had been concealed from view behind a wall. Due to the lack of historical documentation, there has been some speculation about its real iconographic meaning, although the most widely accepted theory is that it is an allegory of divine and earthly justice. Its authorship remains unknown; it is attributed to the "Master of Monsaraz-Beja", active in the region between the late 15th and the early 16th century, and to whom are also attributed the frescoes in the Hermitage of Saint Andrew, in Beja.
  The important art historian Túlio Espanca called this fresco an "extraordinary masterpiece", "unique in its profane theme" in the country.
context_section_description: The composition comprises two panels, of apparently distinct but complementary narratives. In the upper scene, Christ as the Pantocrator in robes of red and with His feet resting on a globe with a Gothic caption reading "UROPA", is flanked by two Prophets, each holding a phylactery twisted in the shape of the letters Alpha and Omega. He is also flanked by two trumpeting angels. The two panels are framed by a decorative Moorish-inspired bar, which makes it resemble an illumination. What seems to be traces of an heraldic device can be seen on each side of the painting, probably the arms of the House of Braganza or the royal coat of arms.
  The lower scene is the representation of a trial scene with two judges: the "Good Judge" to the left, and the "Bad Judge" to the right, both seated on wooden and richly-crafted Gothic thrones. The Good Judge is seated facing the viewer directly, wearing robes of great sobriety (a white houppelande over a dark doublet and matching cap), and holding steady the red staff of the old municipal courts; he seems to be acquitting a man dressed in white. The Bad Judge, wearing showy robes of orange and a red fur-lined cap and holding a broken red staff, is depicted as having two faces and is approached by two men in the act of bribery: the man to the right (a rico homem) takes gold coins from a purse, and the man to the left (a villein) offers the judge a pair of partridges.
  While the Bad Judge's conduct is influenced by the Devil, who seems to be whispering in his ear and rests his claw on top of his shoulder, the Good Judge is being crowned by two angelic figures, Justice and Mercy, according to the medieval symbolism. The scene is flanked by two corregedores, each beside each of the judges, and in matching clothes.
caption: Detail of one of the trumpeting angels in the upper panel
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