Last Supper thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass, Room 83, The Whiteley Galleries

Last Supper

Panel
ca. 1770-1780 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

William Peckitt (1731–95) was a prolific painter on glass of both secular and religious subjects. His patrons included George III. He began working in the 1750s, announcing that he had ‘found out the art of painting and staining of glass in all kinds of colours’. He quickly established a reputation, and in the 1760s he won the commission to create the great west window of Exeter Cathedral. This was removed in 1906.

The ‘Last Supper’ was the final meal of Jesus Christ with his Apostles before his Crucifixion. This was when he instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. All four Gospels record this central event of the Christian faith. 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 memory of him.

The scene depicted in this panel represents the subject in a traditional way. The Twelve Apostles are gathered around the central figure of Jesus. On the table in the centre is the chalice of wine, and the bread is placed in front of Christ.

We do not know who commissioned this panel from Peckitt or where it was located. It may have stayed in his family, because his great-grandson owned it.

The ‘frame’ of the panel is similar to one that Peckitt painted on a panel with his self-portrait, now in the York City Art Gallery. The frame is executed in silver stain with brown-painted acanthus decoration.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleLast Supper (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Stained glass
Brief description
Panel of clear glass painted in enamels and yellow (silver) stain. Painted by William Peckitt. English, ca.1770-1780.
Physical description
Panel. The Last Supper in a circular frame, contained within a larger frame, with wedged corners, in imitation of gilded wood. Christ seated with the apostles at a round table against a background of twisted columns.
Dimensions
  • Height: 24in
  • Width: 29in
Gallery label
THE LAST SUPPER Previously in the possession of Cecil Peckitt, York, great-grandson of Henry Peckitt, apothecary to George III and brother of the glass-painter William Peckitt. England (York), about 1770-80; by William Peckitt (1731-95) Museum no. C.180-1934((PW) 2003)
Credit line
Given by Mr. J. A. Knowles
Historical context
William Peckitt (1731-1795) was a prolific painter on glass of both secular and religious subjects. His patrons included King George III. He began working in the 1750s, announcing that he had 'found out the art of painting and staining of glass in all kinds of colours'. By the 1760s his reputation was so established that he won the commission to create the great west window of the nave of Exeter Cathedral. This window was removed in 1906.

The subject of this panel is the 'Last Supper'. The circumstances surrounding the last meal (‘Last Supper’) 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.

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.

On the table in the centre is the chalice of wine and the bread is placed in front of Christ.

It is not known who commissioned this panel from Peckitt nor where it was located. It was in the possession of his great grandson so it is possible that it had been in the family's possession since its creation.

The 'frame' of this panel is similar to the one Peckitt painted on the panel of his self-portrait, now in the York City Art Gallery. The frame is executed in silver stain with brown-painted acanthus decoration.
Summary
William Peckitt (1731–95) was a prolific painter on glass of both secular and religious subjects. His patrons included George III. He began working in the 1750s, announcing that he had ‘found out the art of painting and staining of glass in all kinds of colours’. He quickly established a reputation, and in the 1760s he won the commission to create the great west window of Exeter Cathedral. This was removed in 1906.

The ‘Last Supper’ was the final meal of Jesus Christ with his Apostles before his Crucifixion. This was when he instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. All four Gospels record this central event of the Christian faith. 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 memory of him.

The scene depicted in this panel represents the subject in a traditional way. The Twelve Apostles are gathered around the central figure of Jesus. On the table in the centre is the chalice of wine, and the bread is placed in front of Christ.

We do not know who commissioned this panel from Peckitt or where it was located. It may have stayed in his family, because his great-grandson owned it.

The ‘frame’ of the panel is similar to one that Peckitt painted on a panel with his self-portrait, now in the York City Art Gallery. The frame is executed in silver stain with brown-painted acanthus decoration.
Bibliographic references
  • Trevor Brighton and Roy Newton, 'Peckitt's Red Glasses', Stained Glass Quarterly, vol.81, no.3 (1986), pp.213-220
  • J.T. Brighton. 'William Peckitt (1731-1795) and portraiture on glass', Preview: York City Art Gallery Bulletin, XXXIV (1984), pp.3-11
  • J.T. Brighton, 'William Peckitt the great genius glass-painter', York Georgian Society, July, 1968
  • J.A. Knowles, William Peckitt, Glass-Painter, Walpole Society Publications, XVII, pp.45-59
  • Glass, or Glass-making as a creative art through the ages, Leeds : Temple Newsam House, 1961 197
Collection
Accession number
C.180-1934

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Record createdJuly 14, 1998
Record URL
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