The Last Supper
- Object:
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain
- Credit Line:
Lent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass, room 83, case BAY2
- Image in copyright
All four Gospels record the circumstances surrounding the last meal that Jesus Christ shared with his Apostles. The Last Supper is central to the Christian faith, because it was then that Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
The scene depicted in this panel treats the Last Supper in a traditional way. The Twelve Apostles are gathered around the central figure of Jesus, and the young John the Evangelist lays his head on Christ’s lap. At the Crucifixion, Christ will entrust him with the care of his mother, Mary.
Christ will soon announce that one of the Apostles is going to betray him. We see Judas in the foreground, identified by the red bag he carries. This contains the 30 pieces of silver with which the authorities bribed him to betray Christ.
When Judas had departed, Christ took bread and wine and offered it to his followers, declaring that they were his Body and Blood. The Apostles were to do this in his memory. In the central panel Christ holds the chalice filled with wine, and there is bread on the table in front of him.
These panels originally came from the church of Saint-Jean in Rouen, Normandy. The French Revolutionary authorities closed the church in 1793, and it was destroyed by 1817.
Physical description
[Panel] Right hand scene of Last Supper with John the Evangelist.
[Panel] Central scene of Last Supper with Christ.
[Panel] Left scene of Last Supper.
Place of Origin
rouen, France (made)
Date
1542 (made)
Artist/maker
unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain
Dimensions
[Panel] Weight: 22 kg, Height: 430 mm unframed (top), Width: 845 mm unframed (top), Width: 855 mm unframed (middle), Height: 735 mm unframed (middle), Width: 855 mm unframed (bottom), Height: 735 mm unframed (bottom)
[Panel] Weight: 21 kg, Width: 888 mm framed, Height: 1958 mm framed
[Panel] Weight: 21 kg, Width: 889 mm framed, Height: 1957 mm framed
Historical context note
The circumstances surrounding the last meal that Jesus Christ shared with his apostles is recorded in all four of the Gospels. This event is central to the Christian faith as it is when the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist occurs.
The scene depicted in this panel is a traditional representation of the Last Supper. The twelve Apostles are gathered round the central figure of Jesus Christ. The young John the Evangelist, to whom Christ entrusts the care of his mother after his death, lays his head on Christ’s lap.
Christ will soon announce that one of the apostles will betray him. Judas is visible in the foreground and is identified by the bag he carries containing the thirty pieces of silver he was bribed with by the authorities to betray Christ.
Then Christ took bread and wine and offered it to his followers saying that they were his body and his blood and to partake of them and to do so in memory of him. This is the moment when the Institution of the Eucharist takes place.
Descriptive line
Window of three panels, clear and coloured glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain. Depicting the Last Supper. France (Rouen), dated 1542.
Labels and date
THE LAST SUPPER
This three-light window comes from the east end of the church of Saint-Jean in Rouen, which was closed in 1793 and demolished in 1816-17. It relates in style to the products of the Le Prince workshops of Beauvais.
France (Rouen), dated 1542
Lent by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II [(PW) 2003]
Production Note
The window is similar to the style of the products of the Le Prince workshops of Beauvais.
Categories
Religion; Christianity; Stained Glass
Collection code
CER
