Circle of Maerten de Vos

The influence of Maerten de Vos is evident both in the stylistic treatment and in the conceptual execution of the subject. A devout Catholic, de Vos frequently revisited the theme of the Last Supper, producing numerous paintings¹, drawings², and print designs on the subject.

The present drawing shares several compositional similarities with an engraving by R. Sadeler, after a design by de Vos, dated 1604³. Most notably, the foreground of both works features the same bent-over servant lifting a large dish from the floor, as well as two vases and a basket filled with dishes, which, though positioned differently, are similar in form. Similarly, the figure of Christ appears in an almost identical pose in both works, with the same tableware arranged before him. The figure of Judas—depicted in profile with his torso turned toward the viewer—closely echoes the corresponding figure in the engraving, albeit in reverse.

^1.A. Zweite, Marten de Vos als Maler. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Antwerpener Malerei in der zweiten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts, Berlin 1980, nos. 31 and 87, figs. 40 and 107

^2.A drawing by Maerten de Vos of this subject is in the collection of the Louvre (inv. no. 20576). Another drawing was sold at Christie’s Paris, 15 November 2023, lot 5.

^3.A. Zweite, op. cit., fig. 242

Facsimiles

a) The original point of the brush and ink drawing is in the collection of Kupferstich-Kabinett, Dresden (inv. no. C. 1395)

https://skd-online-collection.skd.museum/Details/Index/889041

b) The original point of the brush and ink drawing was in the collection of Kunsthalle, Bremen (inv. no. 739) until 1945, when it went missing during World War II

c) According to the stamp on the reverse of the backing sheet, the original watercolour is in the collection of Musée Bonnat-Helleu, Bayonne.