Titian
, Italian, c.1488-1576 and
Studio of
Titian
, Italian, c.1488-1576
Title
The Supper at EmmausDatec.1545
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
163 x 200 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1870
Object numberNGI.84
ProvenanceVenice; Abbate Celotti, 1836; Prince Demidoff, Villa San Dorato, near Florence, 1836; purchased, Paris, Prince Demidoff sale, March 1870Exhibition HistoryOld Masters, Burlington House, London, 1887Royal Academy of Arts, London, winter 1887
From Titian to Delacroix: Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, Yokohama Sogo Museum of Art, 25 August 1993 - 17 October 1993; Chiba Sogo Museum of Art, 10 November 1993 - 20 December 1993; Prefectural Museum of Art, Yamaguchi, 05 January 1994 - 20 February 1994; Kobe City Museum, 25 February 1994 - 10 April 1994; Isetan Museum of Art, 14 April 1994 - 24 May 1994
European Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Ireland, National Gallery, Canberra, 25 June 1994 - 3 October 1994; Art Gallery of New South Wales, 21 October 1994 - 15 January 1995
Label TextTitian is considered by many to be the greatest Venetian artist of the sixteenth century. Like many Renaissance artists, he ran a workshop where assistants were trained and employed to work on commissions. The subject of this painting, executed by Titian and his studio, is taken from the New Testament. On the third day following Christ’s crucifixion, two of his followers travelled to Emmaus. They invited a fellow traveller to join them for a meal, not realising that he was the resurrected Christ. Here, we see their shock upon discovering his true identity when he broke bread and shared it with them.