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Those who are familiar with the crayon-study of Da Vinci, the original painter, or with the engraving of Raphael Morghen, will find the picture we present ever valuable. The original painting was made upon the wall of the refectory of the Dominican convent in Milan, at the order of Ludovico il Moro, and the artist was employed for sixteen years, finishing his work in 1498. In considering this work of art, it is well to remember that to see we must believe; religious art requires religious feeling, and this feeling must be love — passionate, personal love — for the True, the Beautiful and the good.
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From:
The Lives, Transactions, Sufferings and Martydoms
of the
Holy Apostles and Evangelists
of
Our Saviour Jesus Christ
By
Rev. W.F.B. Jackson, 1877
The portrait of our Lord is a part of a
whole, and its expression, as well as that of each of the
disciples, is to be interpreted by the time, He has just
uttered the words, "Verily, I say unto you, That one
of you shall betray me." He is now silent. His head
droops and his eyes have fallen for very shame. No man
could have spoken these words like this man. No one would
have looked as he does. There is no trace of personal
feeling. He is not thinking of himself, nor of the
consequences of the act which he foretells. In his still
quivering lips are to be discerned the signs of suffering
and of sorrow for sin. As we behold his sorrow we recall
the expression of his countenance as he lately looked on
Jerusalem, and we see also in the present anguish the
beginning of the agony of the coming Gethsemane. It was
such a look as this that he gave to Peter, who went out and
wept bitterly. It is such a look as this that he gives us as
he turns upon us, for we are all in the same condemnation,
ever forsaking and denying him. On the right hand of our
Lord, nearest to him, are John, Judas and Peter. Peter, the
farthest off, on hearing the words of Jesus, moves rapidly
up behind Judas, who, looking upward in fright, bends
forward over the table with the right hand holds firmly
grasped the purse, and with the left makes an involuntary
motion, as if to say, "what may that mean?" Peter
has meanwhile with his left hand laid hold on the shoulder
of John, to tell him to ask Jesus who the traitor is. A
salt-cellar is overturned during the excitement, and this
bit of superstition on the part of the artist has been
considered of doubtful propriety. This group is thought to
be the most perfect in the picture. On the left of our
Lord, James the Elder starts back with terror, like one who
thinks he sees the horror of which he has just heard. Thomas
appears behind his shoulder, with the forefinger of his right
hand pointing toward his forehead, Philip, the third of the
group, has got up, bends forward toward the Master, lays
his hands on his breast, saying most clearly, "Lord,
thou knowest it is not I." The last three on this
side are Matthew, who turns his face eagerly toward his two
companions on the left, while his hands are stretched out
toward Jesus; Thaddeus, who shows the most violent
astonishment, doubt and suspicion, and makes a
characteristic gesture with his hands; and Simon, extremely
dignified, who sits at the end of the table, richly clad in
folding drapery, with countenance thoughtful, but not
agitated nor hardly moved.
Looking directly at the opposite end of
the table, we see Bartholomew, who bends over with both
hands laid quietly on the table. He is probably listening
for the answer to John's question. James the Less, next
to and behind Bartholomew, lays the left hand on Peter's
shoulder, and in front of him is Andrew, who, as one of the
most important figures, with half-raised arms, shows full
the palm of his expanded hands - a decisive expression of
wonderment. The distinctive characteristics of the several
apostles are more plainly seen in the beautiful pictures
which we present, with the accompanying biographies. The
pictures themselves are engraved from photographs of Da
Vinci's original crayon drawings, and the very best artists
in the country have been employed upon the work. It will be
a delightful study to compare the individual portraits with
those in the large picture, and the fidelity of our artist's
work will be easily recognized.