Between sacred and profane

Supper at Emmaus and biblical feasts


Biblical feasts were one of the major themes of the latter half of the sixteenth century. Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, and indeed Bassano have all provided monumental examples of this. The celebration of the supper at Emmaus echoes the Last Supper. It was the moment, as recounted by Luke, when the two pilgrims Christ was traveling with recognized him as he consecrated the bread and the wine. “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him.”
Titian produced many versions of this theme for the commissioning patrons of his generation. The painting in the Musée du Louvre reflects a careful reading of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper—a long, horizontal table, a frontal view of Jesus against the backdrop of a landscape punctuated with vertical architectural elements, the posture of one of the pilgrims reminiscent of that of Leonardo’s Judas. Titian chose to portray the moment when both pilgrims realize the identity of the figure they encountered. It also provided him with an opportunity to painstakingly reconstruct the white tablecloth with its many folds and creases, the oriental carpet, and the items on the table (saltcellar, decanter, glasses, bread).
Tintoretto took up the theme of Supper at Emmaus very early on. One early version suggested that he was looking to challenge his elder but that his ability did not yet live up to his ambitions. However, a few years later in the Last Supper he produced a brilliant take on his previous attempt in the consummate skill of his eloquent poses, the focus on simplicity and everyday life, the pronounced chiaroscuro, and the vibrant energy.
Veronese’s Supper at Emmaus, now in the Louvre’s collections, offers a quite different register. It would appear to be the first of a large series of biblical feasts marked by a mixture of sacred narration and portraits of the Venetian aristocracy, even if the result here lacks complete mastery of style. Unlike Titian and Tintoretto, Veronese chose to depict the moment of Christ’s blessing of the bread; the composition is evocative of Raphael’s Transfiguration in its sense of balance and harmony.

Titian, Supper at EmmausLearn more+ Titian , Supper at Emmaus
Paris, Musée du Louvre
(Inv 746)

Titian, Supper at Emmaus Tintoretto, The Last Supper Veronese, Supper at Emmaus