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The Communion of the Apostles
Luca Giordano·1660
Historical Context
The Communion of the Apostles at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, painted around 1660, depicts Christ distributing the Eucharist at the Last Supper. This specifically sacramental interpretation of the Last Supper emphasized the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. Giordano's saints inhabit dramatically lit space, their faces and gestures projecting immediate emotional intensity rooted in Caravaggesque Naples. He worked in Naples, Florence, Venice, and Madrid — serving Charles II of Spain 1...
Technical Analysis
The apostles are arranged in attitudes of reverential reception around the central figure of Christ. The dramatic lighting focuses on the Eucharistic gesture, creating a powerful devotional image.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the apostles arranged in attitudes of reverential reception: their varied postures of kneeling, bowing, and extending hands create visual variety within a unified devotional response.
- ◆Look at the dramatic lighting focused on the Eucharistic gesture: Giordano makes the central sacramental act the painting's luminous focal point.
- ◆Find the specific theological emphasis: this is not merely a Last Supper but a Communion of the Apostles — the first Eucharist, where Christ distributes his body as bread.
- ◆Observe that the Boston Museum of Fine Arts holds this circa 1660 early mature work — American major museum holdings of Italian Baroque painting reflect the sustained collecting that built these institutions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
