Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art


    • The Supper at Emmaus, 1622–23
    Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660)
    Oil on canvas

    48 1/2 x 52 1/4 in. (123.2 x 132.7 cm)
    Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.631)

    The picture illustrates the gospel according to Saint Luke (24:30–31), and shows the moment at which the disciples recognize the Risen Christ ("And as He reclined at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and handed it to them; then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him"). An early work, executed under the strong influence of Caravaggio, it seems to have been painted in 1622–23, before Velázquez left Seville for Madrid.

    Related


    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Hale, Charlotte. "Dating Velázquez's The Supper at Emmaus." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 40 (2005).
    JSTOR | PDF
  • Haskell, Francis. "The Benjamin Altman Bequest." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 3 (1970).
    JSTOR | PDF
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  • The Supper at Emmaus, 1622–23
    Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660)
    Oil on canvas

    48 1/2 x 52 1/4 in. (123.2 x 132.7 cm)
    Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.631)