The Supper at Emmaus

As the innkeeper looks on, the resurrected Christ reveals himself to the apostles Cleophas and Saint Peter at the table, as described in the Gospel of Luke: “When he was at table with them, he took bread and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” The artist heightens the scene’s tension by positioning the table at the very front of the picture plane, hemming in the substantial figures. Bartolomeo Cavarozzi painted this after Caravaggio’s innovative treatment of the subject, now in the National Gallery, London — the original was in Rome in the 1600s, where it was seen and copied by many. The painting is held in the J. Paul Getty Museum.