Artwork
The Last Supper
The Last Supper is a print by the Renaissance artist Lucas van Leyden. It dates from 1521 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Lucas van Leyden's compact print, The Last Supper, distills the pivotal biblical scene into a dense, intimate composition, emphasizing key figures and symbolic elements within a vertical format.
Subject & Meaning
The print focuses on the contrast between Christ and the Beloved Apostle John (far side) and Judas, clutching a money bag (near side), amidst a lively, wine-filled atmosphere that subtly intertwines symbolic depth with mundane desire.
Technique & Style
Van Leyden employs sfumato, blending faces into soft shadows, and a crowded, dynamic arrangement, distinguishing his work from potential influences like Albrecht Dürer's 1510 woodcut, which he reinterprets in reverse with reduced figures.
History & Provenance
The work's creation may have been influenced by Albrecht Dürer's 1510 woodcut of the same subject, from which Van Leyden borrowed and adapted elements, though specific provenance details of the print are not provided.
Context
Produced in a period where religious themes dominated art, Van Leyden's The Last Supper offers a unique blend of solemnity and everyday life, reflecting the artist's ability to balance the sacred with the mundane.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
Salome with the head of St John the Baptist
The Virgin and Child
Worship of the Golden Calf
A Game of Chess
Mary with Child, St. Maria Magdalena and founder (separate outside, Inv. No. 7713)
Inner left wing of a diptych with Christ as the Man of Sorrows
Inner right wing of a diptych with the Virgin as Mater Dolorosa
Annunciation
