The Last Supper

Niccolò di Tommaso's Last Supper, dating to around 1365 and held at the Yale University Art Gallery, depicts the foundational scene of the Eucharist — Christ's final meal with his apostles before his Passion. This narrative subject was essential to the decorative programs of monastic refectories and church interiors, serving as a perpetual reminder of the sacramental significance of communal eating. Niccolò, working in the circle of Nardo di Cione, rendered the scene with the clear narrative legibility demanded by its didactic function.

Egg tempera on panel with gold ground, presenting the apostles arranged around a table in the conventional frontal composition inherited from Byzantine and early Italian models. The figures are individualized through varied gestures and drapery colors, with Niccolò's characteristically expressive hand movements conveying the drama of Christ's announcement of betrayal.