Artwork
The Last Supper
The Last Supper is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Sebastiano Ricci. It dates from 1714 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject matter serves as the primary iconographic element, representing the institution of the Eucharist and the impending betrayal by Judas.
Sebastiano Ricci's 1714 oil painting depicts the biblical scene of the Last Supper, a central event in Christian theology where Jesus shares his final meal with the apostles before his crucifixion. As a work of religious art, the composition focuses on this specific narrative moment from the Gospels. The subject matter serves as the primary iconographic element, representing the institution of the Eucharist and the impending betrayal by Judas.
While the specific symbolic details of Ricci's arrangement are not elaborated in the available records, the piece is categorized within the religious genre specifically for its portrayal of this foundational Christian story.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1714, Sebastiano Ricci's The Last Supper is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 67 by 104 centimeters, presenting a religious scene within a horizontal format typical of the artist's late Baroque style. As a painted support, the canvas carries the oil medium which allows for the fluid handling characteristic of Ricci's approach to religious subjects during this period.
The piece is currently held in the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Sebastiano Ricci painted The Last Supper in 1714 as an oil on canvas (67 × 104 cm) depicting the biblical scene. The work was originally associated with the Manfrin family in Venice, likely housed in Palazzo Venier, and later appeared in the collection of Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi by 1937. It was acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation in 1939 and subsequently gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1943.
The painting's provenance thus moves from the Manfrin collection through Contini Bonacossi to Kress and finally to the National Gallery of Art, where it remains.
Legacy
The work entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., through the Samuel H. Kress Foundation gift in 1943, becoming part of a collection that championed Italian Renaissance and Baroque art in the United States. Scholarly attention to the painting, including analyses by Longhi, Suida, and Fiocco, has contributed to a sustained reputation for Ricci's compositional vigor and his treatment of biblical narratives. Its designation as a representative example of the Last Supper theme persists in exhibition catalogues and academic discourse on 18th-century Venetian painting.
Overview
Sebastiano Ricci's "The Last Supper," an oil on canvas completed in 1714, portrays the biblical narrative of Christ's final meal with his disciples. The painting features a lively, crowded interior where numerous individuals are gathered around an expansive table laden with provisions. Ricci orchestrates a dynamic composition, drawing attention to a central figure in a red robe and capturing a moment of significant interaction within an elaborately decorated setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sebastiano Ricci (1 August 1659 – 15 May 1734) was an Italian Baroque painter of the late Baroque period in Venetian painting.
