Udkast med samme emne som recto (samt model og figurstudier). Lignelsen om den store nadver 1860s

Wilhelm Marstrand’s sketch evokes the biblical parable of the Great Banquet, a scene rich with symbolic tension. Notice how the figure on the left inverts the natural order, head bowed to the ground. This posture, reminiscent of ancient depictions of shame or rejection, contrasts sharply with the figures being served in the center, who are surrounded by motifs of blessing and communion. Consider the recurring symbol of the banquet itself. In antiquity, communal feasts were not merely sustenance, but sacred rituals, echoes of earlier pagan rites of sacrifice and communion. Think of the Dionysian feasts or the Roman Saturnalia, where collective ecstasy and release found expression. The sharing of bread and wine transforms into potent symbols of spiritual nourishment and social bonding. Marstrand revives this emotive power through stark juxtapositions, revealing our deep-seated psychological responses to inclusion and exclusion. It's a motif whose journey continues through time.