The Last Supper

On the right at the front among the disciples is Judas, whom Christ has recognised as his betrayer. Judas is wearing a yellow robe and is the only one of the disciples to be depicted without a halo. The following picture shows the Last Supper, at which the Lord bids farewell to his disciples on the evening before his crucifixion. He identifies the betrayer and tells the disciples of his forthcoming death. Christ sits in the middle of the room behind the table. His favourite disciple John is asleep on his breast. The scene depicts the moment immediately before events reach their dramatic climax, when Christ tells his disciples that one of them will betray him and that it is the person to whom he will pass the morsel that he has dipped. We see how Christ reaches into the bowl with the Easter lamb in order to give the morsel to Judas. Judas, in a yellow robe and without a halo, is sitting somewhat isolated at the front of the table trying to conceal the bag with the silver coins. The disciple sitting at front left is staring so intensely at Judas that it is obvious who the betrayer is. The fly on the lid of the woven
basket in the foreground is considered an impure animal and hence symbolises the devil who will take possession of Judas after he has taken the morsel. The chalice of wine on the table in front of Christ emphasises the sacramental character of the scene and its link to the Holy Communion.
The mood of these dramatic events is impressively captured in the reactions of the disciples and their highly individual facial expressions. The rendering of the red and yellow twilight of the evening sky with the clouds lit up by the last rays of the setting sun reveals the artist’s precise observation of nature. Rainald Grosshans | 200 Masterpieces of European Painting – Gemäldegalerie Berlin, 2019