Jesus kneels on the floor in a red robe and white shirt.
Bible in art · John
Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet
Garofalo · c. 1520/1525
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Garofalo (Benvenuto Tisi), the leading painter of Ferrara in his day, painted this oil panel around 1520–25. Its frieze of figures and clear, bright colours show the influence of Raphael, whose work he had studied in Rome.
The disciples sit along a stone bench. Jesus kneels on the floor and washes Peter’s foot over a brass basin; Peter presses a hand to his chest, and the others watch, one lifting both hands in surprise.
From the text
- Jesus laid aside his outer garments and “wrapped a towel around His waist” (John 13:4)
- “He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet” (John 13:5)
- Peter: “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” (John 13:6)
The artist’s own
- A grand hall with classical columns instead of an upper room
- Thin gold haloes over Jesus and several disciples
- A metal jug standing on the floor beside the basin
- Each disciple in a robe of a different bright colour
Details
Kneeling
The basin
Water runs over Peter’s foot into a wide brass basin.
Peter
Grey-haired Peter presses a hand to his chest.
The jug
A metal jug stands ready on the floor.
Surprise
A disciple in green lifts both hands.
Garofalo (Benvenuto Tisi), Italian, 1476–1559. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2001.29.1) · Oil on panel · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)