Artwork

Mankind Feasting and Making Love, Awaiting the Last Judgement (‘the coming of the son of man’) (Matthew 24:37–42)

Mankind Feasting and Making Love, Awaiting the Last Judgement (‘the coming of the son of man’) (Matthew 24:37–42) is a drawing by the Renaissance artist Dirk Barendsz. It dates from 1581 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Dirk Barendsz’s 1581 drawing, titled *Mankind Feasting and Making Love, Awaiting the Last Judgement*, presents a group of figures gathered around a table in a richly appointed interior. The composition combines scenes of banquet and music-making with an underlying reference to the eschatological anticipation of the Final Judgment, as suggested by the work’s title.

Subject & Meaning

The figures are shown in a state of leisure, eating and playing instruments, yet their stiff, exaggerated poses convey a moral tension. The juxtaposition of earthly pleasure with the imminent arrival of the Son of Man, drawn from Matthew 24:37–42, invites contemplation of human indulgence in the face of divine reckoning.

Technique & Style

Executed in pen and brown ink with a brown wash, the drawing employs cross‑hatching and tonal variation to model space. Indented contours created with a stylus define forms, while later corrections in opaque white and grey reveal the artist’s iterative process. A framing line in brown ink encloses the scene, reinforcing its compositional boundaries.

History & Provenance

The work entered the museum’s holdings in 1869 as part of the bequest from Rev. Alexander Dyce. Its acquisition reflects 19th‑century interest in Dutch Renaissance drawings and contributes to the broader collection of Barendsz’s oeuvre, offering insight into his narrative and technical approaches.

Artist & collection

Artist

Dirk Barendsz

Dirck Barendsz or Theodor Barendszoon (1534–1592) was a Dutch Renaissance painter from Amsterdam who traveled to Italy in his youth to learn from the Italian masters, most notably Titian.