The Last Supper

Netherlandish (Antwerp Mannerist) Painters

1515–20 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

This is a rare example of a completely intact triptych, well preserved and still in its original frame. Adam and Eve on the exterior are based on Albrecht Dürer’s 1504 engraving of the subject. The Old Testament scenes on the inner wings prefigure the Last Supper, which is depicted in a fantastic Renaissance architectural setting on the central panel. The left wing shows the king and high priest Melchizedek outside the gates of Salem giving bread and wine to the patriarch Abraham. The right wing represents Moses and the Israelites in the desert fed by manna falling from heaven.

Artist

Netherlandish (Antwerp Mannerist) Painters

Date

1515–20

Medium

Oil on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917