Bible in art · Luke

Full Page Miniature: The Agony in the Garden

Timoteo Viti · 1490–1500
The Cleveland Museum of Art

A full-page painting on vellum made in Umbria about 1490–1500 and credited to Timoteo Viti, a painter of altarpieces who also worked on manuscripts. It is painted like a small panel picture, with a deep landscape.

Jesus kneels in white among pale rocks, and an angel with a cup flies towards him. Below, Peter, James and John sleep on the grass. Far off at the left, a band of soldiers comes along the road.

From the text

An angel appears and strengthens Him (Luke 22:43)
“let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39)
He finds the disciples sleeping (Matthew 26:40)

The artist’s own

The cup held by the angel, a painters’ image of the prayer
Judas and the soldiers already on their way in the distance

Details

Jesus

He kneels in a white robe.

The angel

An angel flies down with a cup.

Peter

An old man asleep in blue.

The soldiers

Tiny figures come along the road.

Timoteo Viti (Italian, 1469–1523). The Cleveland Museum of Art (Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1927.161) · tempera on vellum · 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

Matt 26:36–46At that time Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy. So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing. Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer is approaching!”

Luke 22:41–43And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.

See it at the museum’s site