3D Scan of The Last Judgement (1518), Grote Kerk Alkmaar

In 2026, the Grote Kerk Alkmaar, in collaboration with Theater De Vest, commissioned Utrecht University’s ArtLab to carry out a comprehensive 3D documentation project of the sixteenth-century vault painting The Last Judgement by Jacob Cornelisz. The project is in line with Grote Kerk’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting one of the most important surviving monumental paintings of the Northern Netherlands.

Spanning nine vault bays at nearly thirty metres above the church floor, the painting is both art historically exceptional and materially vulnerable. Executed on oak boarding and subject to centuries of restoration, relocation, and environmental fluctuation, the ensemble requires highly precise and sustainable documentation to inform future conservation and research.

A High-Resolution 3D Model

At the request of the Grote Kerk Alkmaar, ArtLab is producing a colour-accurate high resolution 3D model of the entire choir vault. Using close-range Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry in combination with LiDAR, we capture not only the painted surface in high resolution, but also its architectural context within the church interior.

The resulting 3D model serves three primary purposes:

• Public engagement – generating high-resolution renders, 360° visualisations, and immersive experiences that allow visitors and scholars to examine the vault at eye level.
• Art historical research – providing unprecedented visual access and analytical precision for the study of one of the most significant interior paintings in the Northern Netherlands.
• Conservation support – enabling detailed condition assessment and long-term monitoring of deformation, paint loss, and material ageing.

Research and Public Value

By embedding the 3D model within the existing LiDAR model of the church interior, the project establishes a sustainable digital framework for future research and heritage presentation. The model forms the basis for a technical pilot integrating archival and restoration data, strengthening insight into the painting’s material history and the development of conservation practice in the Netherlands.

Through this commission by the Grote Kerk Alkmaar, a largely inaccessible masterpiece is documented with scientific precision and made newly accessible to both academic audiences and the wider public – ensuring its preservation and continued study for generations to come.

Team

The project is carried out by ArtLab’s Sjors Nab (coordinator UU ArtLab), Dr Sanne Frequin (assistant professor Digital Art History), and Dr Daantje Meuwissen (assistant professor Early Modern Art History).

Questions regarding this project? Please contact artlab@uu.nl.