The Last Supper

Jean Honoré Fragonard|Sebastiano Ricci

ca. 1764 · Etching, first state of two · Drawings and Prints

This etching is from a group of sixteen made by Fragonard in Paris around 1763-64, based on black chalk drawings he had made in Italy a few years earlier for his friend and patron, the abbé de Saint-Non. Of the sixteen, ten were based on Venetian models, including this one after Sebastiano Ricci (Italian, 1659-1734). Ricci's original canvas, made for the church of Corpus Domini does not survive, so we cannot be sure to what degree Fragonard may have altered or simplified his canvas. According to contemporary guidebooks, Ricci's painting was unusual in that it depicted the moment after the Last Supper had concluded, when some disciples remained at the table and servants were clearing away dishes and linens.

Artist

Jean Honoré Fragonard|Sebastiano Ricci

Date

ca. 1764

Medium

Etching, first state of two

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1966