PROVENANCE: Barbarini; Wildenstein Gallery, New York, 1965; BJU, 1965.

Although the exact attribution is not certain, the artist was influenced by the greatest Venetian painter, Titian. It was probably painted for a refectory (dining hall) of a monastery.

The artist has depicted an unusual moment in the Last Supper narrative. It is not when Jesus identified Judas as the traitor, nor is it at the moment of the breaking of bread. We see, instead, the assembling of the guests for the feast. Everyone is not yet seated and the servants are still busy with their duties.