Watercolour, copy after The Last Supper, Andrea del Castagno in the Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia (Florence), Emilio Costantini, Arundel Society watercolour, 1889

Watercolour of Christ and the Apostoles at a long table in a room decorated with marble in different colours and patterns.

Acquired in 1995 from the National Gallery of London.
Watercolour copy made for the Arundel Society in 1889 by Emilio Costantini. Not published.

Original work
This watercolour is a copy made by Emilio Costantini (Florence 1842-1926) after The Last Supper by Andrea Del Castagno (Florence 1419--1457). Del Castagno was a great master in rendering the three-dimensional aspect of human bodies, demonstrating a real interest in the contemporary sculpture, after particularly the most influential were the works of Donatello (1386/87-1466).
He Del Castagno worked primarily mostly in Florence., but l Little is known about his education,. Del Castagno’s his earliest works are dated around 1442, when he moved was working toin Venice to work in S. Mark’s Basilica and San Zaccaria Church. He Del Castagno returned to Florence around 1445.
The Last Supper is one of the Del Castagno’s best known paintings. Painted in 1447 in It is in the refectory of the now deconsecrated Church of Santa Apollonia in Florence, and it was painted in 1447. T the Last Supper is rich ofin naturalistic details, such as the marble effects behind the Apostles’ seats., with Judas is depicted seated alone on the near side of the table, indicating as prove of his forthcoming betrayal.
The colouristic effectss of the fresco contribute to emphasise the naturalism of the scene and the idea of three – dimensional result. The fresco creates an illusionistic continuity between the room and the painting, although the fresco’s architecture does not exactly represent a three-dimensional space. The An idea of realism is given by the volume of the figures and the point of view of the observer.

Arundel Society
The Arundel Society was founded in 1848 to promote knowledge of the art through the publication of reproductions of works of art. The Society was named after Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Arundel (1585-1646), important aristocratic patron and collector of the early Stuart period. The Society was intended to reach the largest possible audience through these reproductions. Subjects were chosen because of their instructive meaning rather than their popularity. In addition to copies of famous paintings, the Society published an English translation of Giorgio Vasari’s (1511-1574) Lives of the most excellent painters , made in 1850 by Giovanni Aubrey Bezzi (1785-1789), one of the founding members of the Society.

The Arundel Society popularised Renaissance art, particularly that of the Italian Old Masters, echoing a growing interest for ‘primitives’ (art of Western Europ prior to the Renaissance) in the second half of the nineteenth century. The founding members of the Arundel Society were all acknowledge experts on Italian art. For instance, Sir Charles Eastlake (1793–1865; painter and art administrator), whose house was the meeting point of the Society, was Director of the National Gallery in London from 1855 until 1865 and during his tenure, he began one of the finest collections of Italian art in Britain.

Other preeminent members were John Ruskin (1819-1900, English writer, painter and collector), who supervised projects including the watercolours series of the Upper and Lower Church in Assisi, and Sir Austen H. Layard (1817-1894; English archaeologist, politician, diplomat, collector and writer). Layard lived and travelled in Italy for many years and his knowledge of the country’s art was extensive. It was thanks to Layard’s funding that the Society were able to publish copies of the watercolours made at their direction using chromolithography. Although photography was increasingly popular, as photographs could only be made in black and white, chromolithography was chosen as it was felt to be closer to the principals of the Arundel Society: they were coloured and had the aura of traditional prints. In this way, copies were more like the originals.

The Society reached the height of its popularity in the 1860s. However, by the end of the century, it faced mounting criticism with regards to the accuracy of its watercolour copies. The Society ceased its activities in 1897. At this time the availability of second hand prints had increased and the Society found it difficult to find market for its chromolithographs. Moreover, photographic reproductions were becoming increasingly popular thanks to technical advances.The last display of the Arundel Society’s watercolours took place at the National Gallery and when the Society was dissolved, some watercolours were given to that Institution, while others were acquired by the then South Kensington Museum (now V&A). The outstanding watercolours were transferred from the National Gallery to the V&A in the 1990s.

Copyst
This watercolour copy was painted by Emilio Costantini (1842-1926), a Florentine art dealer. He was one of the most important figures in the art trade in the late 19th century, and sold many great important works to private collectors and museums directors. He was known as “professor” as he taught at the Istituto d’Arte of Florence, where he specialised in copies of old paintings. Costantini was engaged by the Arundel Society in the late 1880s and his style was characterised by a greater degree of accuracy than other copyist who worked for the Society.

This watercolour is a copy made by Emilio Costantini (Florence 1842-1926) after the Last Supper by Andrea Del Castagno (Florence 1419--1457). It was painted for the Arundel Society, founded in 1848 to promote knowledge of the art through the publication of reproductions of works of art. The Arundel Society popularised Renaissance art, particularly that of the Italian Old Masters, echoing a growing interest for ‘primitives’ (art of Western Europ prior to the Renaissance) in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The painting is one of the most famous by Del Castagno. It is in the refectory of the deconsecrated Church of Santa Apollonia in Florence and it was painted in 1447. The fresco is part of a larger tradition of Last Supper scenes in refectories. It creates an illusionistic continuity between the room and the painting, although the fresco’s architecture does not exactly recreate a three-dimensional space. The idea of realistic space is given by the volume of the figures and the point of view of the observer.

E.46-1995