Het Laatste Avondmaal met de stichter

The work portrays the Last Supper, a pivotal moment from the Christian narrative, but incorporates a patron figure—identified as the founder—who is positioned among the disciples. This inclusion underscores the donor’s piety and connection to the sacred event, inviting viewers to contemplate the intertwining of personal devotion and communal worship.

Executed in oil on panel, the painting displays the ornate, elongated forms and vivid coloration typical of Antwerp Mannerism. Architectural elements such as arched windows open onto an exterior landscape, while the figures are rendered with intricate drapery and exaggerated gestures, reflecting the movement’s penchant for decorative complexity and theatricality.

The artist remains anonymous, known only by the notname Master of 1518, though scholars have linked the hand to Jan Mertens the Younger or Jan van Dornicke. The painting’s early ownership records are sparse, but it has been associated with Flemish religious commissions of the early sixteenth century and later entered museum collections.

Emerging from Antwerp’s vibrant artistic milieu, the work exemplifies the city’s early sixteenth‑century synthesis of Gothic tradition and emerging Renaissance influences. The inclusion of everyday objects—a dog, a vase, and domestic architecture—reflects a broader trend toward grounding sacred narratives in recognizable, contemporary environments for devotional purposes.