What a lucky man you are, to have such a teacher!

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This scene takes place at the beginning of the evening; the interior is lit by a few candles, which shine faintly on the Tablets of the Law, the Old Covenant, in the back. Before our eyes, the New Covenant begins with this Passover meal, repeated in every Eucharistic celebration.

On the right-hand side, there is still some light that brings out the yellow and blue tunics and the white tablecloth.

By contrast, the apostle figures emerge from the shadows. Jesus has just announced that someone is going to betray him and the discussion between the disciples has started ‘who is it?‘

One table guest abstains from the conversation and turns away. He pretends that he still wants to participate – allowing himself to be poured another drink ‑ but at the same time he stretches one leg so that he can stand up quickly and move away. His outer garment is red, like Jesus’s. But the convention of his reddish hair colour, which passes on to his tunic, betrays him: it is Judas.

Off the rim of Judas’ cup the late evening light reflects, also on the amphora in the front left, and on the little dog under the chair…

According to art critics, this is a highlight in Otto Van Veen’s oeuvre: even an untrained eye can see the harmony in the circular composition of the figures and in in the two round lustres. There’s a balance between top and bottom of the scene.

Yet, what happens to art over the years is often less amusing. To adapt a painting to a different location, a piece could be sawn off or – in this case! – added at the top and the bottom. Originally, this work was a square, which would make the blessed bread the real centerpiece, in every sense.

In the Cathedral of Our Lady hangs in the north transept: Raising of the Cross