The Last Supper

Lucas van Leyden · 1521
The Cleveland Museum of Art

In 1521 Lucas van Leyden engraved a Passion series of fourteen tiny plates, each about 11.5 cm high. This is the first. He packs the twelve disciples round the table and lights the scene from behind Christ.

Jesus sits at the back in a burst of light. The young disciple John leans against him, asleep or resting. A lamb lies on the dish. In the front, one disciple pours wine and another holds out a bowl.

From the text

“one of you will betray Me” (John 13:21)

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

The disciples looked at one another, perplexed (John 13:22)

The artist’s own

A lamb on the dish — the Passover meal, as painters showed it

A disciple pouring wine and a basket of bread in the front

Light spreading behind Christ

Details

Jesus

He sits at the back in a burst of light.

John

The young disciple leans against him.

The dish

A roast lamb on the dish.

Pouring

A disciple pours wine from a jug.

Lucas van Leyden, Netherlandish, 1494–about 1533. The Cleveland Museum of Art (Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1923.55.1) · Engraving · Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access: Collection API record "share_license_status": "CC0" (Creative Commons Zero, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

The verses

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.