The Last Supper

12th/13th century
Mosaic
Cathedral of the Assumption, Monreale, Sicily

Eleven Apostles sit at the table with Jesus. He dips the fingers of his left hand into a shallow bowl. To the left of the bowl is a round object, perhaps a small loaf, just like the ones set before the Apostles. The man standing before the table offers Jesus a towel. In the Mass, this is what the acolyte does after the priest has rinsed his fingers in preparation for the consecration of the bread and wine. The man may be the twelfth apostle, or perhaps a version of the servant who brings food to the table in earlier Last Supper images.

The beardless Apostle with his head on Jesus' breast is of course St. John. The one on the far right may be Judas, as he is dipping his hand into a bowl. His legs and hips are pictured most awkwardly.

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Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.