Last Supper
The Celebration of Mass Observed by Moses and St. Paul
Purchased on the Belle da Costa Greene Fund with the assistance of the Fellows and with special assistance of Mrs. Frederick B. Adams, Sr., Mrs. Robert Charles, Mr. Laurens M. Hamilton, The Heineman Foundation, Mrs. Donald F. Hyde, Mrs. Jacob M. Kaplan
This large miniature marking the Mass of the Blessed Sacrament illustrates the Last Supper. Christ gives Judas the sop by which he identifies his betrayer; as Judas accepts this, a tiny demon enters his mouth. (John, leaning on the Savior's chest, sleeps through the critical moment, while Peter, to the left of Christ, appears aghast.) Biblical quotations interpret the event. The left one, from Psalms (77:25), refers to the "bread of angels," a phrase applied to the Eucharist. The right quotation, from Luke (14:15), praises those who have eaten bread in the kingdom of God. In the smaller miniature, representing the mystical union of the Old and New Testaments, Moses and St. Paul observe the celebration of Mass.