Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Alba Passion - The Last Supper


There is a magnificent tapestry in The Metropolitan Museum of Art that dates from the 15th century and illustrates 'The Passion of Christ'. It is believed to be one of a series of four tapestries, woven with wool, silk and silver-gilt thread.

The Tapestries are believed to have been created for the Duke of Alba and were designed around 1520 by Bernaert Van Orley, a painter from the court of Magaret of Austria.

In the illustration we see Christ with his right arm around Saint John, who is sleeping, and his left arm which is directing the viewer to Judas who has risen to leave ( in the righthand corner) with his purse brimming with the proceeds of his promised betrayal.

The immense power and extravagant design of this tapestry is due to Van Orley's refomulation of the influence of a 1510 woodcut of the Last Supper by Albrecht Dürer and by a set of cartoons designed by Raphael for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel.

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