Supper at EmmausCaravaggio · 1601
Acrylic On Canvas- WallArt
- Baroque Dramatic Intensity
1601- Early Medieval
141.0 x 196.0 cm
National Gallery
On the third day after the Crucifixion two of Jesus’s disciples were walking to Emmaus when they met the resurrected Christ. They failed to recognise him, but that evening at supper he ‘... took bread, and blessed it, and brake and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight’ (Luke 24: 30–31).Painted at the height of Caravaggio’s fame, this is among his most impressive domestic religious pictures. He brilliantly captures the dramatic climax of the story, the moment when the disciples suddenly see what has been in front of them all along. Their actions convey their astonishment: one is about to leap out of his chair while the other throws out his arms in a gesture of disbelief. The stark lighting underlines the dramatic intensity of the scene.Typically for Caravaggio, he has shown the disciples as ordinary working men, with bearded, lined faces and ragged clothes, in contrast to the youthful beardless Christ, who seems to have come from a different world.
Caravaggio (1571 – 1610)
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National Gallery (London, United Kingdom)
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About this artwork
- Title: Supper at Emmaus
- Artist: Caravaggio
- Year: 1601
- Original dimensions: 141.0 x 196.0 cm
- Format: Landscape
- Copyright status: Public domain
- Where to see it: National Gallery
- Creative period: Mature Baroque
- Inventory number: NG172
- Corpus context: faith revelation, dramatic narrative
Questions & Answers
What size and orientation are recommended for a print of "Supper at Emmaus" by Caravaggio?
A print of "Supper at Emmaus" by Caravaggio is recommended at a large size in landscape orientation.
Where does "Supper at Emmaus" sit within Caravaggio's body of work?
"Supper at Emmaus" belongs to Caravaggio's Baroque Dramatic Intensity work, whose recorded themes include renaissance roots, faith revelation, dramatic narrative, human suffering, caravaggio legacy.
How do emotion and gift occasion combine for "Supper at Emmaus" by Caravaggio?
"Supper at Emmaus" carries a dramatic feeling, and its recorded gift recommendation is anniversary.