Het laatste avondmaal 1490 - 1503

This is a woodcut of the Last Supper, made by the Master of the Delbecq-Schreiber Passion. The image reflects the intersection of religious belief and social practice in its time. Visual codes, like the halo above Christ’s head, immediately signal the image’s religious nature. But the scene is also grounded in the material culture of the time. The way the table is laid out, and the clothing of the figures reflects Northern European customs. Woodcuts such as these were often made to be included in books of hours, or other devotional material. The rise of printmaking allowed for images to be more widely disseminated at a time when the church held enormous cultural sway. The act of interpreting and understanding art requires a look into the religious beliefs, and the economics of artistic production. This understanding shapes our appreciation of the artwork.