This lintel with its central figure of St Michael weighing souls, is part of the Portal of the Last Judgement. Notre Dame, Paris.
Weighing-of-Souls Theme Pages
In Christian theology the souls of the dead are weighed so as to judge them. This is based on the theory that sin is heavy and thus those that do not pass the test are destined for hell.
Part of the western façade of Amiens cathedral this scultpured lintel shows St Michael weighing souls at the Last Judgement.
Part of the "Tympanum of the Last Judgment" at Bourge Cathedral (Cathédrale St-Étienne).
This painted vault panel depicts St Michael the Archangel performing the psychostasia, the weighing of souls at the Last Judgement. Shown full-length within a triangular vault compartment, Michael stands frontally, dressed in a red mantle over a darker tunic, and with large, pale wings filling the background. His expression is calm and composed, in keeping with late medieval devotional imagery that emphasises the archangel’s role as an impartial judge.
Detail 'Justice' window by John Hardman & Co at Gloucester Cathedral.
Archangel Michael Weighing Souls by Arild Rosenkrantz (c1918).
Memorial to James Baldwin (d1922) by Christopher Whall, in Worcester Cathedral.
The left hand light show St Michael with scales to weigh souls, Seraphims with trumpets occupy the central light, and Gabriel with a flowing lily is shown in the right hand panel.