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Jesus sits at the head of the table, surrounded by his disciples, holding up a piece of bread, which he blesses: this is the Last Supper. Ercole’s skill at painting detail on a small scale is clear: each disciple has a different facial expression, and the transparent glasses, the carafes and the morsels of bread on the table are painted like a tiny still life. This small panel has an unusual dual function. It was the central panel of a predella – the lowest part of an altarpiece – but evidence of a keyhole suggests that it was also the door of a hidden container housing the bread eaten at Mass. The image is appropriate for such a container, often known as a tabernacle, because at the Last Supper Jesus taught his disciples to eat bread and wine in memory of him, a rite that later became the Eucharist, or Holy Communion.
Title
The Institution of the Eucharist
Date
probably 1490s
Medium
Egg on wood
Measurements
H 29.8 x W 21 cm
Accession number
NG1127
Acquisition method
Bought, 1882
Work type
Painting