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Caravaggio Painted the Supper at Emmaus Twice: What Changed
In 1601 Caravaggio painted the moment Christ is recognised at Emmaus with drama and bright colour. Five years later, after fleeing Rome, he painted it again, quieter and darker.
Image not reproduced
Supper at Emmaus (Milan)
Cena in Emmaus
- Artist
- Caravaggio
- Date
- 1605–1606
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 141 × 175 cm
- Location
- Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, MilanInventory no. 2296
Caravaggio's second version of the Supper at Emmaus, painted in 1605–1606, probably at Paliano after he fled Rome. Quieter, darker and plainer than the London version.
Historical context
Probably painted on the Colonna estates at Paliano after Caravaggio fled Rome in 1606, the work was bought for the Brera by the Friends of Brera in 1939.1
Interpretation
The museum describes this version as more intimate and plainer than the earlier one.1
Symbols and meanings
- The bare tableEstablished fact
- A few simple dishes instead of the abundant still life of 1601.Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus (inv. 2296)
- The darknessEstablished fact
- A dark room in which the figures emerge from shadow.Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus (inv. 2296)
Sources
- 1Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus (inv. 2296). Pinacoteca di Brera
