The Last Supper and Christ Washing the Feet of his Disciples, plate nine from Passio domini nostri Jesu Christi
c. 1503
Medium
Hand-colored woodcut on ivory laid paper with letterpress on verso, laid down on white laid paper
Dimensions
21.8 × 15.5 cm (8 5/8 × 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
55420
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Christ’s last supper with his apostles marked their final meeting before his death. On this solemn occasion, he correctly predicted that one of them would betray him. Christ’s request that his followers would break bread and drink wine in “remembrance of me” became the basis of the Eucharist. While later Protestant faiths would differ, it remains a principle of Catholic beliefs that these substances miraculously change into Christ’s body and blood during this sacrament.