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The Last Supper: M.52-1904

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

The Last Supper

Maker(s)

Enameller: Reymond, Pierre

Entities

Categories

Description

Copper enamelled en grisaille and brown on a black ground, and gilded. Christ and the twelve apostles are seated at a round table in a polygonal room. Signed '•P•R•’ and dated ‘154Z’ in the right top corner

Rectangular, slightly convex copper plaque with incurved edge on the reverse. Copper, enamelled en grisaille and brown on a black ground and gilded. The drawing is in black with enlevage. The reverse has clear counter-enamel with a red veined appearance.
The Last Supper is taking place in a polygonal room. It has a brick wall in the middle, two oval windows on either side with a cornice above, and a chandelier in the centre. The twelve disciples are seated round a table with Christ in the centre. Two on each side sit with their backs to the viewer on wooden benches with carved scrolling foliage on the sides.The end of one is carved with a reclining putto, and the other with two struggling men. One of the men on the right holds a money bag identifying him as Judas. The floor tiles are decorated alternatively with a heraldic lion and a floral motif on a white ground. Gold is used for Christ’s halo, the string on the money bag, and for a narrow gold line running round the edge of the scene The black border has been painted white. Signed •P•R•’ and dated ‘154Z’in brownish-black in the right top corner

Notes

History note: Hollingworth Magniac, Colworth, Bedfordshire; his son,Charles Magniac (1827–91); sold Christie’s, 2 ,4-8 and 11-15 July 1892 ,Catalogue of the renowned collection of works of art chiefly formed by the late Hollingworth Magniac Esq. (known as the Colworth Collection, 3rd day, July 5, lot 230, sold for £27.6.0 to Frank McClean, Tonbridge Wells.

Legal notes

Frank McClean Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 14.9 cm
Width: 12.4 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Limoges ⪼ Haute Vienne ⪼ France

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1904) by McClean, Frank

Dating

16th Century, second quarter#
Production date: dated AD 1542

Note

Although clearly influenced by Albrecht Dürer's Last Supper in his Small Passion, neither the majority of the figures, nor the setting are the same. The young St John is depicted on the viewer's right of Christ, and not leaning across in front of him as if falling asleep, a chandelier, and a tiled floor have been inserted, and a large flagon has been omitted.

Label text from the exhibition ‘Feast and Fast: The Art of Food in Europe, 1500–1800’, on display at The Fitzwilliam Museum from 26 November 2019 until 31 August 2020: Although many images displayed in this room reflect the dark connotations of food as a dangerous gateway to iniquity, eating played a vital role in the drama of Christian redemption. This devotional plaque shows The Last Supper, Jesus’ final meal before he was crucified, when he commanded his disciples to eat and drink in remembrance of him. The ritual re- enactment of this holy meal – the Eucharist or Holy Communion – became the central act of Christian worship, when the body and blood of Christ (in the form of bread and wine) were consumed for spiritual nourishment.

School or Style

Renaissance

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( brown, black and white) gold
Plaque composed of copper

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: •P•R•
  • Location: On front top right corner
  • Method of creation: Painted in brownish-black
  • Type: Maker's mark
  • Text: 154Z
  • Location: On front top right corner
  • Method of creation: Painted in brownish-black
  • Type: Date

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.52-1904
Primary reference Number: 156441
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 25 November 2020 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2023) "The Last Supper" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/156441 Accessed: 2023-12-09 16:14:09

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/156441 |title=The Last Supper |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2023-12-09 16:14:09|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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