Artwork
The Last Supper
The Last Supper is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Adriaen Thomasz. Key. It dates from 1575 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Adriaen Thomasz.
About this work
Overview
Adriaen Thomasz. Key, a Flemish painter active in Antwerp, completed a religious composition titled *The Last Supper* in 1575. Executed in oil on canvas, the work is part of the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp and exemplifies the Mannerist style prevalent in the late 16th century.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a group of men gathered around a banquet table, evoking the biblical scene of Christ’s final meal. A figure in a bright yellow robe commands attention, seated on a bench and looking upward, while the surrounding participants converse, gesture, and display a range of emotional intensity that underscores the narrative’s dramatic moment.
Technique & Style
Key employs vigorous brushwork and a vivid palette characteristic of Mannerist experimentation. The contrast of colors—rich reds, deep blues, and the striking yellow—creates visual tension, while the composition’s diagonal lines and exaggerated poses heighten the sense of movement and emotional charge.
History & Provenance
The painting was produced after Adriaen Thomasz. Key inherited the workshop of Willem Key, eventually assuming its leadership. It entered the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp’s holdings, where it remains on display as a representative example of the artist’s mature output.
Context
Key’s technical proficiency and inventive handling of oil paint earned him recognition among contemporaries and later influenced younger Flemish masters, notably Peter Paul Rubens. The work reflects the transitional artistic climate of Antwerp in the late Renaissance, bridging traditional religious iconography with emerging stylistic innovations.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen Thomasz. Key (c. 1544 in Antwerp – after 1589 in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter of portraits and religious paintings, a draughtsman and a printmaker. He worked for a while in the Antwerp workshop of the…
