The Last Supper (La Última Cena)

Between 1555-62, the renowned Renaissance master Vicente Juan Masip (Joan de Joanes, 1507–1579) created a masterpiece of the Spanish Renaissance, the Last Supper (La Última Cena). Originally, it formed the keystone of the base (banco) for the monumental High Altar of the Church of San Esteban in Valencia. It is a representative example of the great assimilation of the High Renaissance in Italy’s ideals into the rich religious culture of the 16th-century in Spain. Studying Italian paradigms and their structural layout, as illustrated in The Last Supper, is evidence of Joanes’s deep interest in such structures. The architectural structure, the symmetry of representations, and the passion of the emotions are all heavily inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic mural in Milan. Joanes takes Leonardo’s idea of structuring the disciples into small, self-contained groups of three, each interacting with the others, so there is a psychological reaction that is felt throughout the group. However, whereas Leonardo is interested in the dramatic unveiling of betrayal (“One of you will betray me”), Joanes focuses on the narrative of the Eucharist itself. The Holy Child Jesus sits in a triumphant attitude, holding a radiant Sacred Host in the middle of a geometric centre. This theological shift mirrors the “tight-fisted” Counter-Reformation that prevailed in the Kingdom of Valencia. The monumental figures and the classical background scenes reflect a strong resemblance to the school of Raphael in Rome, with whom Joanes studied, using many prints. Each decorative detail in Joanes’s composition is a true theological code. An immediate foreground reference is a liturgical one in the form of a metal jug and basin on the floor, which remind one of the Washing of the Feet before the meal. All the apostles have golden haloes with their Latin names on them, apart from Judas Iscariot. Judas is put on the side of the table nearest the viewer in the foreground, emphasizing that he is on one side rather than the other and that he is doing something that is wrong. His seat is named after him, and his very appearance is like the anti-Semitic medieval tradition, with shocking red hair and a similarly colored beard. He is clothed in bright yellow drapery, the color historically associated with envy, greed, and treachery; and he is caught mid-action, his leather pouch of silver money hidden behind his back, an antithesis for purity in the central action of Christ himself, the Eucharistic offering. The oldest section of the composition is the special chalice set in front of Christ. Instead of creating a vessel that represents the classical era or period, Joanes painstakingly recreated the physical form of the Holy Chalice of Valencia, which dates back to 1437, and is kept in the Cathedral of Valencia. The painting reflects the unique dark agate cup, medieval gold mounts, and the twin handles adorned with pearls and precious gems. Joanes used this regional relic to make a biblical event in the present for his Valencian patrons, and the altarpiece was a strong statement of civic pride and relic validation.