The Last Supper

Ugolino da Siena · ca. 1325
The Met, New York

Ugolino da Siena, a follower of Duccio, painted this small panel around 1325, probably for the predella of the high altarpiece of Santa Croce in Florence. The other scenes from that strip are now spread between museums in Europe and America.

Jesus sits at the end of a long table with the twelve, at the moment he says that one of them will betray him. The apostles turn to one another and gesture; the youngest, John, has sunk against Jesus’ chest.

From the text

Jesus reclining with the twelve disciples (Matthew 26:20)

“Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me” (Matthew 26:21)

The disciple whom Jesus loved, at His side (John 13:23)

The bowl shared with the betrayer (Matthew 26:23)

The artist’s own

The apostles sitting at a European table rather than reclining

Judas the only one without a halo — a custom of painters of the time

John shown asleep, as painters traditionally pictured him

Gold halos with punched patterns

Details

Jesus and John

John leans asleep against Jesus at the end of the table.

Without a halo

The apostle on the near side with no halo is Judas; a small bowl stands by his raised hand.

The table

Dark round dishes, small bowls, bread rolls and knives on a white cloth.

Halos

Gold halos with patterns punched into the gold.

Ugolino da Siena (Ugolino di Nerio), Italian, Siena, active by 1317–27. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Robert Lehman Collection, 1975; acc. 1975.1.7) · Tempera and gold on wood · Public Domain — The Met Open Access (CC0). The Met Collection API record: "isPublicDomain": true; The Met marks such works on its website "with the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) icon".

The verses

Matt 26:20–25When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.” They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”

John 13:21–26After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.” The disciples looked at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant. One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side. So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about. Leaning back against Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.