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Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2016.
Last Supper with Donors
Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2016.
Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2016.

Last Supper with Donors

Artist Unknown
CultureFlemish
Dateca. 1575
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions31 3/4 x 64 1/4 in. (80.6 x 163.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 41 1/2 x 74 1/2 x 3 in. (105.4 x 189.2 x 7.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2234
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an oil on panel painting. In the center of the panel a seated man pours water from a wooden vessel into a small stoneware one. Christ is at the center, with six disciples on each side. One has fallen asleep on Christ's left shoulder. Four are on the other side of the table, facing Christ, three of those have their backs to the viewer. The last man turns to the man in the center to hand him a metal pitcher. The disciples are all moving in different directions. Christ is administering the Eucharist to Judas, who is wearing a dusky yellow color and has a small moneybag in his right hand. Behind them is a floor length green drape and leaded glass windows. The floor is tiled with marble. The foreground scene is divided from the background scene by a low wall and three marble pillars. In the foreground, five men are dressed in sixteenth-century costume. Their clothes are black with just the smallest bit of a lace collar visible. They sit to the left and right of the background scene of Christ and the disciples. Four of them appear to be kneeling in front of a low table, having removed their hats and gloves. Small books rest on the table in front of them. The fifth stands behind two of the kneeling figures. Their hands are folded in prayer.

Label TextLast Supper with Donors, ca. 1575 Flemish, Antwerp Oil on wood When Christ offered his disciples bread and wine as his own body and blood, he established the Eucharist—a sacrament that stands at the center of Catholic faith and art. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Last Supper, this artist groups his figures at a long table. Christ presides at center, solemnly feeding bread to Judas, his betrayer. By placing the scene on a platform separated by a railing, the artist brings the historical event into the present. The painting’s donors kneel in the foreground, praying before the scene. It’s as if the Last Supper is miraculously appearing on an altar thanks to the rituals of the devoted. The painting becomes a bold assertion of the importance of Catholic Mass and the literal presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2234