Last Supper in Christian art

"Communion of the Apostles" redirects here. For the paintings, see Communion of the Apostles (painting).
Last Supper by Dieric Bouts, 1464-1467

The Last Supper of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles has been a popular subject in Christian art,[1] often as part of a cycle showing the Life of Christ. Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art date back to early Christianity and can be seen in the Catacombs of Rome.[2][3]

The Last Supper was depicted both in the Eastern and Western Churches.[2] By the Renaissance, it was a favorite subject in Italian art.[2] It was also one of the few subjects to be continued in Lutheran altarpieces for a few decades after the Protestant Reformation.[4]

Last Supper, by Dagnan-Bouveret, 1896

There are two major scenes shown in depictions of the Last Supper: the dramatic announcement of the betrayal of Jesus, and the institution of the Eucharist. After the meal the further scenes of Jesus washing the feet of his apostles and the Farewell Discourse (farewell of Jesus to his disciples) are also sometimes depicted.[1][5]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Zuffi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Vested Angels: Eucharistic Allusions in Early Netherlandish Paintings by Maurice B. McNamee 1998 ISBN 978-90-429-0007-3 pp. 22–32 Google books link
  3. ^ Christian Art, Volume 2007, Part 2 by Rowena Loverance ISBN 0-674-02479-6, 978-0-674-02479-3 p. Google books link
  4. ^ Schiller, 40–41
  5. ^ Schiller, 24–38