The Last Supper 1582

Livio Agresti da Forlì created this relief of The Last Supper, a bronze sculpture, sometime between 1550 and 1580. The scene unfolds amidst classical columns, echoing the Renaissance interest in antiquity. The central motif, the table laden with food, is far more than a snapshot of a meal. It’s a powerful symbol, a stage for revelation and betrayal. This iconography of communal dining extends back to ancient times, seen in funerary feasts meant to sustain the dead in the afterlife. The raised hands of the apostles, a gesture of shock and denial, are a primal expression of human emotion. The gesture reappears throughout art history, for example, in depictions of the Massacre of the Innocents. This collective memory stirs within us, engaging viewers on a subconscious level, as the scene unfolds with intense emotional and psychological weight. The image of the Last Supper is not merely a depiction of a historical event; it’s a recurring symbol that resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings, echoing across time.