Suppers With The Savior

In Luke 24, the risen Jesus finds himself on the road to Emmaus with two confused and distressed men. Unrecognized by them, he listens to them lamenting over his very death and then later joins them for a meal. When he breaks the bread at this meal, the men's eyes are opened, and Jesus immediately vanishes. This story, the Supper at Emmaus, captivated the imaginations of 17th century painters like few other narratives. The following collection of paintings brings together a diverse selection of Baroque interpretations of this moment of revelation and seeks to invite viewers to not only encounter the artwork of the time period, but also the theological concerns that animated it. 

The Baroque era is distinct for its use of tenebrism, emotional intensity, and viewer participation in sacred moments. Emmaus proved to be an ideal subject for this sensibility. Across Europe, painters returned again and again to Emmaus because it offered something uniquely suited to both the Baroque style and the Counter Reformation convictions: a table, ordinary men, and the sudden revelation of divine presence. Painters such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, and Rembrandt depicted this scene using expressive gestures, powerful lighting, and careful detail. Each artist, though, pulled out something unique from the story and highlighted it in their paintings; some the shocking revelation of Jesus, others the meal, and still others the warmth of relationship. 

This exhibition explores a central question: How did Baroque artists use the visual language of their time to depict the mystery of Christ’s presence at Emmaus, and what theological claims were they making through these choices? These paintings do more than simply illustrate a biblical narrative; they stage an encounter. With the stage set, you are now invited to ask with these strangers from long ago: When does the ordinary become extraordinary? How might we, too, recognize the presence of the risen Christ in our midst?

The Supper at Emmaus, Michelangelo Caravaggio, 1601.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 141 × 196.2 cm

The National Gallery, London, UK

Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus is one of the earliest, and therefore most influential Baroque depictions of this scene. The tenebrism used here, though not as drastic as some others, paired with still-life levels of naturalism makes the scene an event unfolding before the viewer's eyes. The eruption of the different characters (one via hand gestures (right), and the other seemingly sprung to explode from his chair (left)) embody the idea that this ordinary meal is a moment of divine revelation. The youthful depiction of Christ here, particularly in light of the elderly strangers, is also a deliberate choice creating an incarnational tension between holiness and humanity. Caravaggio leaves the right corner of the table open, almost inviting the viewers to participate in the meal, and furthermore in the shock of the mundane table erupting with revelation. 

Kitchen Maid with the Supper at Emmaus, Diego Velázquez, 1617-18.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 55 x 118 cm

The National Gallery of Ireland

Velázquez has two treatments of this event, this is his earlier one. The depiction here is not like the others in this collection, instead of the dominant figure being Jesus, it has now become a simple kitchen maid. By doing this, Velázquez is able to emphasize the concealment of the sacred within the mundane cadence of daily labor. This artistic choice lends itself both to counter reformative ideology and Spanish Baroque sensitivities that the divine is not always captured in a dramatic revelation, but rather present where there is humble and unnoticed work. The Emmaus story is thus expanded by Velázquez in that he reminds us that Jesus is not just revealed in dramatic moments, but rather in the more humble places that are found beyond them.

Velázquez has two treatments of this event, this is his earlier one. The depiction here is not like the others in this collection, instead of the dominant figure being Jesus, it has now become a simple kitchen maid. By doing this, Velázquez is able to emphasize the concealment of the sacred within the mundane cadence of daily labor. This artistic choice lends itself both to counter reformative ideology and Spanish Baroque sensitivities that the divine is not always captured in a dramatic revelation, but rather present where there is humble and unnoticed work. The Emmaus story is thus expanded by Velázquez in that he reminds us that Jesus is not just revealed in dramatic moments, but rather in the more humble places that are found beyond them. 

The Supper at Emmaus, Diego Velázquez, 1622-23. 

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 123.2 x 132.7 cm

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. 14.40.631

This later version of the Supper at Emmaus is one that we are much more familiar with. Here, Velázquez follows the narrative in a more traditional Baroque way with Jesus seated with the two strangers. The space that Velázquez creates here is very intimate, and conversational. The focal point is certainly Jesus. As you look at the painting, you can see the lines of the men as well as the use of tenebrism drawing you to the warmly illuminated face of Christ, who mysteriously is looking off the canvas. Velázquez really emphasizes the humanity of Christ in the way his clothes fit on his body, the wounds remain in his hands, and he eats with the men. There is nothing explosive, or dramatic about this scene like we see in the early Caravaggio. Velázquez invites you into a liminal moment with the risen Jesus, the God-man. 

The Supper at Emmaus, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1628. 

Medium: Oil on wood panel

Size: 39 x 42 cm

Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, France

Like Velázquez, Rembrandt also has two different depictions of this scene. This earlier scene is striking in its use of chiaroscuro creating a different mood than the preceding paintings. Rather than having a detailed image of Christ, Rembrandt turns him into a shadow, giving us a silhouette shrouded in mystery. The stranger that Jesus reclines with appears to be surprised by the man sitting across from him. It is almost as if the shadowy depiction of Jesus that Rembrandt uses captures the liminality between Jesus being revealed and his vanishment. Also worth considering is the figure also shrouded in the back left of the painting. There is an obvious parallel between the humble servant in the background and Jesus in the foreground. Could Rembrandt be inviting you into a theological idea that Jesus came as a humble servant on behalf of all mankind?

The Supper at Emmaus, Matthias Stom, 1633-39.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 111.8 x 152.4 cm

Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Madrid, Spain

Stom’s depiction uses tenebrism like no other painting in this collection. There is a table, there are men, and there is Jesus, all beset on a dark background. This, along with the detailed facial expressions and hand gestures, creates a very dramatic scene. The narrative in Luke says that the men realized it was Jesus when he broke the bread, and that very moment is what Stom is showing here. In Jesus’ pierced hands, he holds the split bread as the three men look in shock and disbelief. Increasing this drama and contrasting the shock of the men, Jesus appears to be totally calm. Like Caravaggio’s depiction, Stom leaves space at the table for the viewer to join in. Imagine you are sitting in that open space, looking at the table set before you, then the three men, and finally Jesus, just before he vanishes. 

The Supper at Emmaus, Peter Paul Rubens, 1638. 

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 144 x 157 cm

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Rubens brings together many of the characteristics his predecessors have used including the open place at the table, the distant gaze of Jesus, and the breaking of the bread. Rubens, though, captures the moment in a more lively and vividly colored setting. Consider how this painting makes you feel in light of the deeply tenebristic Stom painting. Jesus is staged to break the bread soon, holding it in his left hand, while making a widely recognizable gesture with his right hand. Unlike some of the other artists, Rubens, by way of some of the elements aforementioned, creates a feeling of abundance, which has theological significance. The arrival and revelation of Jesus is not just one of meekness, but also of abundant generosity and grace. The men in this painting seem relaxed, at home even; perhaps Rubens is trying to invoke a similar feeling in the viewer. 

Supper at Emmaus, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1648. 

Medium: Oil on canvas

Size: 68 x 65 cm

Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

After a couple decades, we see Rembrandt revisit the subject matter, this time with a very different approach. Jesus has emerged from being shrouded in the shadows to being beset in front of them. Whilst the figures are important to this painting, we can also see an attentiveness to the space in which the figures find themselves. The space Jesus and the strangers find themselves in is quiet, humble, and architecturally solid, creating an atmosphere where this wild moment of revelation feels almost more grounded and tangible than other depictions. The light radiating from Jesus’ face is gentle, and slowly fades into the dark corridor behind him. This creates a Jesus that is calming, yet not unusual. No longer does Rembrandt focus on the mystery of discovery, but rather the understanding that comes as a result of it. How might Rembrandt invite you to consider how divine presence settles into the ordinary, and transforms it slowly from within?

Cossier's painting should come as an abrupt shift from the prior Rembrandt. Whereas Rembrandt has lots of space that the figures are a part of, Cossiers fills the space to the brim with the figures and the table, making a very busy composition. As Jesus gazes upwards, his hands clench the bread, as if already beginning the process of breaking it. Like so many of the other artists, we see this liminal space of the ordinary becoming extraordinary. All of the sudden, from a normal meal, with normal people, the divine erupts and then disappears. As you look at this painting, notice the characters in the background, how they appear to simply be enjoying a meal with a newly made friend. It can be easy to get caught up in the revelation of Jesus that we can miss that the strangers really had no idea the whole time it was Jesus who was with them. Cossier’s depiction of the strangers really shows this, which is essential in understanding the theological power of the narrative.