The Supper at Emmaus

The purpose of the supper is to feed the travelers, but it is also the moment when Christ chooses to reveal to his disciples, by blessing and breaking bread, that he is the risen Lord.

The Supper at Emmaus

In the week following the death of Christ, two of his disciples happened to be walking to the village of Emmaus, not- far from Jerusalem. On the way, another traveler joined them and began talking about things concerning Jesus, though he seemed to be unaware of his Passion and death. The disciples told the traveler of their hope that Jesus would free Israel, and of their disappointment that, three days after his death, nothing seemed to have happened. Moreover, they could not explain why, when some women had gone to his tomb three days after his death, they had found it empty. The traveler then reminded them of the prophecies that had foretold what would happen to Christ. When they reached the village, he made to continue on his way, but they urged him to stay with them since it was almost evening. When the traveling companions were seated at the table and were preparing to eat supper together, the traveler took the bread and blessed, broke, and distributed it, thus revealing his true identity as Jesus Christ. As soon as they recognized him, he disappeared from their sight. All they could do was return to Jerusalem to tell the others what had happened and how Jesus had revealed himself by blessing and breaking bread.

Sources

Luke 24:29-33

Iconography

This subject entered Christian iconography comparatively late (around the 12th century) and has often been used for its Eucharistic content and its reference to the Resurrection. It was a particular favorite of 16th-cenrury Venetian artists and later of 17th-century artists across Europe

Pontormo, The Supper at Emmaus, 1525.  Florence, Uffizi.

·    The wine provides a dear reference not only to the blood of Christ in the Eucharist but also to its use as a drink that encourages the recognition and contemplation of the truth.

·         In the early 16th century, individual diners did not always have their own plates: sometimes all the diners shared a single plate. In this case, the plate is suggestive of the communion paten.

·         Daring the Supper at Emmaus, the traveling companions have gathered around Jesus. They watch in amazement as he reveals his true identity by repeating the blessing of bread that he had performed during the Last Supper.

·         As in the Last Supper, the bread here represents the body of Christ.

The Last Supper

Christ gathers his followers for supper one last time. The food has special symbolic significance: Jesus himself defines the bread at his body and the wine as his blood.

The Last Supper

The Last Supper is Jesus' last meal with his disciples at Jerusalem. On the day of the Jewish Passover, Jesus orders his disciples to organize its celebration, and in the evening he sits down to supper with the twelve. During the meal, he says: "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." This grieves the apostles, who begin asking him who the traitor might be, and Jesus replies that he will be betrayed by the one who dipped his morsel of bread in the bowl with him. Judas realizes that his master's words refer to him. While they are eating, Jesus breaks the bread and blesses it, calling it his body and offering it to all se present. Then he takes the cup, gives thanks, and passes it to his disciples so that they all might drink, calling it his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. He then declares that he will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until the day when he will be reunited with his disciples and will be able to talk to them in his father's kingdom (Matt. 26:17-29). In Mark's Gospel (14:12-26) and that of Luke (22:7-23), the narrative is substantially the same, though there are differences: in those versions, the place chosen for the Last Supper is revealed to the apostles in the city by a man carrying a jar of water. In John's Gospel (13:21-30), it is Christ himself who takes a piece of bread from the dish and gives it to Judas to show that he is the traitor; when he urges Judas to

quickly what he is going to do, Judas leaves the table. The episode represents the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist by Christ himself.

Sources

Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:11-26; Luke 22:7-23; John 13:21-30

Iconography

The Last Supper is widespread in Western art and one of its oldest subjects. It already appears in paleo-Christian art and is fully developed in 6th-centnry Byzantine mosaics, becoming codified in a form that was to be subject to many interpretations but few modifications over the centuries

A Master of the Housebook, The Last Supper, ca. 1480. Berlin, Gemaldegalerie.

·         Instead of the bread and wine of the Eucharist, we see here the lamb, the traditional sacrificial victim and an allusion to the sacrifice of Christ

·         The knife that Judas is replacing in its sheath tells us that his betrayal has already taken place.

The Marriage at Cana

Christ performed his miracle before a crowd of guests at a for­mal wedding feast. Jesus is associating the wine with his blood, albeit indirectly.

The Marriage at Cana

Christ's first miracle was performed at the town of Cana during a wedding to which he had been invited along with his mother, Mary, and his disciples. During the feast, the host ran out of wine. Mary informed Jesus of this unexpected setback and he replied, enigmatically, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." Mary then turned to the servants and said, "Do whatever he tells you." Jesus ordered that six water jars intended for purification rites be filled to the brim with water. When this was done, Jesus asked the men to draw some liquid out and take it to the chief steward for tasting. After drinking what had now miraculously become wine, and not knowing where it had come from, the steward told the bridegroom that he was surprised that the new husband had kept the best wine for the close of the feast, contrary to the usual practice at wedding celebrations. Of clear significance in the episode is Jesus' apparently irrelevant reply to his mother, because it establishes a link between the wine and "his hour." The latter phrase is understood as referring to the time of his sacrifice and therefore links the wine and his blood.

Sources

John 2:1-10

Iconography

This is a very common subject in Italian and other European art from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. Apart from its doctrinal content, the subject allowed artists to provide detailed depictions of the wedding feast. Since such feasts were customary everywhere, these paintings provided a significant expression of culture, customs, and taste. They remain an important source of information about everyday life

Hieronymus Bosch, The Marriage at Cana, ca. 1475-80. Rotterdam, Boymans-van Beuningen Museum.

•          The cupbearer, with his back to us, is offering a cup of the miraculous wine to the bride, seated opposite him.
•         Among the vessels on the sideboard at the rear is one shaped like a pelican, a bird that was a traditional symbol of Christ.
•         The wedding feast is the setting for Christ's miraculous transformation of water into wine.
•         The pig's head is symbol of sin.
•     In the world of  chivalry, swan was delicacy. Here it may be an allusion Eucharist because of its pure white feathers  and its habit of washing itself before eating, but it also a symbol of Venus, goddess of love. In one of  Bosch 's many otherworldly touches, the swan spouts fire, possibly a reference to the myth that the swan sings when about to die.

The Feast in the House of Levi

In this case the shared table is a clear indication of Christ's familiarity with sinners. "Veronese presents the meal as a ritual that brings spirits together.

The Feast in the House of Levi

As Jesus was walking along the seashore at Capernaum, people gathered around him seeking advice. When he met a tax collector called Levi, Jesus told Levi to follow him. Levi obeyed and offered his hospitality. At Levi's house, when Jesus and his disciples sat down to eat, they were joined there by many tax collectors and other sinners who were among his followers. The Pharisee scribes were scandalized that Christ would share a cable with such people and asked his disciples to explain this incomprehensible behavior. But when Jesus heard the question, he replied: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners." This Gospel episode of Christ conveys a central aspect of Christian preaching, for what Christ did provoked criticism and led to the Pharisees' question.

Sources

Mark 2:13-17

Iconography

Paolo Veronese's depiction of this subject seems to be unique in Christian iconography. It has hence been suggested that he chose to call his painting The Feast in the House of Levi only because his painting was criticized as too profane for a depiction of the Last Supper

Paolo Veronese, The Feast in the House of Levi (detail), 1573. Venice, Gallerie dell'Accademia.

·         The presence of a cupbearer, whose task was to serve wine to the guests, draws attention to the absence of a carver, who would have been responsible for carving the meat.

·         The empty glass reminds us of wine and refers to the Passion of Christ.

·         One of the tax collectors is cutting a piece of meat for Jesus in a way that suggests considerable familiarity between them. It was against the rules of etiquette in the artist's own day, when the carver alone was responsible for cutting meat.

·         The bread lying on the table recalls the Eucharist.

·        The cuts of roast meat are linked to the idea of Christ as a sacrificial victim.

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

In works on this subject, the food and the sumptuously laid din­ing table are indicative of the hospitality offered by Martha to the Lord, as she seeks to satisfy his material needs.

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

During his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus stopped at a village where he was welcomed into the home of a woman named Martha. While she was busy in the kitchen preparing a special meal and hospitality suitable to a person of his importance, her sister Mary (often referred to as Magdalene) sat at the Lord's feet to listen to his words. Martha was upset that her sister was leaving her to do all the domestic work, and she urged Jesus to ask Mary to give a helping hand. He declined to do so and instead turned abruptly to Martha, saying: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." This episode from the Gospel of Luke is often used to convey the philosophical idea of the contrast between the active and the contemplative life. The Lord indicates that the latter is the right and surest choice if his word is to be understood.

Sources

Luke 10:39-42

Iconography

This Gospel subject is frequently found not only in Italian art hut also in the northern pictorial tradition, where, however, it acquires its own particular characteristics after 1550. It is often used as an excuse for depicting elegant rooms or kitchens overflowing with attractive foodstuffs and delicacies

Alessandro Allori, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, 1605. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum.

·         The eggs may be a symbol of the Resurrection.

·         Grapes are not simply a food for the table. They also remind us of trine and hence refer to the blood of Christ and his Passion.

·         The laden dining table conveys the hospitality offered to Christ by Martha.

·         Christ points to Mary Magdalene as one who has chosen the way of contemplation: the better way to understand his teaching.

·         Mary Magdalene kneels at Christ's feet and listens to his preaching.

Christ in the House of Simon

The meal is an act of hospitality on the part of the Pharisee. But the dinner with Jesus is overshadowed by the devotions of a repentant sinner, who washes the Lord's feet.

Christ in the House of Simon

Luke's Gospel tells that Jesus was one day invited to a meal by a Pharisee named Simon. As Jesus was sitting at the table, a wellknown city prostitute came into the host's house with a jar of perfumed ointment. She crouched at Jesus' feet and began to kiss them, bathing them in tears, wiping them with her hair, and anointing them with the ointment. As the Pharisee watched, he thought to himself that if Jesus really was a prophet he would surely have known that the woman was a public sinner and would have recoiled from her'attentions. Jesus then turned to him and presented him with an allegorical image: "A certain creditor had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii and :he other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" The Pharisee replied without hesitation that it would cer¬tainly be the one with the greater debt. Christ agreed ,md provided an explanation of the story's symbolism: in spite of her sinfulness, the great love she showed meant that her sins were forgiven, ror those who have shown great love enjoy divine forgiveness. Jesus then turned to the woman and said: "Your sins are forgiven" and then "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Sources

Luke 7:36-50

Iconography

This proved a very popular subject in Italian and other European art, especially in the Middle Ages and the 17th century. There are a great many examples up to the r8th century. The rea­sons for its success are the usual ones: banquet scenes allowed artists to depict luxurious interiors, while at the same time the biblical reference provided the moral lesson of the sinner redeemed

Gabriel Malesskircher, The Feast in the House of Simon. 15th century. Nuremberg, Germanischcs Nationalmuseum.

·         Christ sits in the place of honor at the head of the table.

·         The feast is a demonstration of the Pharisees hospitality, hut it is also where Christ publicly forgives the sinful woman from the city.

·         Given the Gospel context, the bread and wine on the table are symbols of the Eucharist.

·         The hair and ointment jar show that the artist has identified the sinful woman as Mary Magdalene.

·         The tablecloth, typical of Perugian manufacture, contains an allusion to the communion table, since this kind of cloth was much used for liturgical purposes.

The Feast of Herod

The banquet lends the occasion an official status. Because the king cannot break a promise made in public to Salome and Herodias, the events that follow become inevitable.

The Feast of Herod

John the Baptist had, rightly, accused Herod of behaving reprehensibly in marrying Herodias, the wife of his dead brother Philip. The apostle's admonition had fueled a great hatred on the part of Herodias. On her advice, King Herod imprisoned John, and Herodias tirelessly encouraged her husband to get rid on this inconvenient presence and condemn John to death. But Herod lacked the will to do so, because he appreciated John's sense of justice and holiness, willingly listening to him and fol­lowing his advice. One day, Herod arranged a banquet to celebrate his birthday, inviting Galilean princes, officials, and other notables. Herod's stepdaughter Salome was called in to dance before the assembly to entertain the guests. Her graceful dances so pleased the king that he pledged to fulfill any desire she might express. Salome was unsure what to ask for, but on her mother's advice she asked the king for the head of John the Baptist. Herod could not go back on a promise made in the presence of his guests and so, with great reluctance, he ordered  that John be executed. The saint's bleeding head was brought to Salome on a salver, and she handed it over to her mother.

Sources

Mark 6:17-29

Iconography

This is one of the most popular subjects in Italian and other European art, with countless examples of the episode from the 15th to the 17th century. There are many reasons for its popularity: female beauty, the banquet scene, an elegant court setting, the gruesome image of Johns severed head, and the contrast between that image and the luxurious atmosphere of a court banquet

Filippo Lippi, The Dance of Salome, from Scenes from the Life of Saint John the Haptisty ca. 1460. Prato, cathedral.