The Supper at Emmaus Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Description of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s Dinner at Emmaus

The painter Caravaggio painted between 1599 and 1606 two paintings on the same Gospel subject - after the resurrection, Jesus appears to the two disciples. Cleopas and another man, whose name is unknown, were on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus after the execution of Christ’s teacher.

On their way the disciples encountered a mysterious wayfarer, who talked to them about the recent and sensational events. It was gradually getting darker, so they invited their new friend to stay with them in the inn until the following day.

The artist’s canvas depicts a moment of dinner at the inn, and more specifically, a second of the apostles recognizing in the fellow traveler their dead mentor, the Son of God. The men recognized Jesus by the symbolic gesture of blessing food with their hands. Cleopas (who was sitting with his back to the onlooker) suddenly stirred up strong emotions-a mixture of surprise, consternation, and joy-grabbed the handles of his seat and stood up from his seat. A second follower of Christ spread his arms to his sides in rapture. The third character, the master of the house, sees nothing supernatural as he does not understand the conversation of his guests.

Everything in the painting is permeated with profound symbolism. The cooked game on the white tablecloth and the dark fruits of grapes are a sign of death. White grapes and pomegranates are positive symbols of life and resurrection. The apple is a reminder of the sin of the first people and its redemption by the coming Messiah. The bread and wine are Eucharistic objects. The seashell on the disciple’s garment is a symbol of the pilgrim.

The uniqueness of the image is in the non-iconic image of Christ: a face without a beard and full-bodied. Otherwise, the painter tried to make the subject realistic by artistic means, so that the viewer feels himself a participant of this dinner and a divine phenomenon. The connoisseurs of Caravaggio’s work admit that the master succeeded in his plan.