Single page - The Last Supper (Faksimile)

Facsimile of one of the most beautiful illuminations of the High Gothic: the Last Supper from the Bedford Hours manuscript, produced in Paris between 1423-1430 for the English Royal Court. This illumination (fol. 198r) is in the British Library in London (Add. MS 18850) and represents one of the highlights of late medieval book painting.

The scene of Christ's Last Supper is not only an artistic highlight of the manuscript - it is also a theological and spiritual symbol of the Eucharist and medieval piety.

The illumination depicts Jesus sitting at table with his disciples. He is surrounded by a golden gloriola, while the other apostles are depicted in animated conversation. Judas Iscariot, averted, wearing a dark robe, sits off to the side - his identity is visually distinguished.

The scene is set in a lavishly decorated interior with details of table settings: dishes, bread, wine, cups. Everything reflects not only the theological significance of the banquet, but also contemporary court life. The gestures and expressions of the individual characters testify to the mastery of the so-called Bedford Master, the main illuminator of the manuscript.

The Bedford Hours manuscript is exceptional not only for its artistic quality (38 large miniatures, 125 half-page scenes, 300 window illustrations) but also for its historical context: it was created during the Hundred Years' War for Prince Heinrich VI of England, probably as an instrument of royal legitimation and piety.

Specifications:

• Title: The Last Supper
• Manuscript: Bedford Hours, fol. 198r
• Place of composition: Paris, c. 1423-1430
• Storage of original: British Library, London (Add. MS 18850)
• Technique: 235 hand-applied gold foils, atelier Richard Mayer, Stuttgart
• Dimensions: 26 × 17 cm
• Weight: 0.5 kg
• Publisher: Verlag Müller und Schindler