By Hector Choksi
he portrayal of the "Last Supper", when just prior to Easter, Jesus Christ took food for the last time with his twelve disciples, is as important in Christian iconography as the scene of Nativity is for Christmas.
In the Middle Ages hundreds of biblical scenes have been painted by old masters like Rubens, Botticelli and Lenoardo Da Vinci. But it is universally held that Leonardo Da Vinci’s "Last Supper of Christ" with his disciples on the night preceding the crucifiction, painted on the Convent wall at the Church of St Marie Della Grazie in Milan in the fifteenth century AD is the grandest of all Biblical paintings in the world (still extant).
In this context it is interesting to know that in India, we have three famous paintings of the Last Supper. The oldest one is the altar piece at St Mary’s Church, Madras, held to be painted partly by (or in the fashion of the great Italian artist and Da Vinci’s contemporary,) Raphael. The second is a wood cut representation of the Last Supper at the 250-year Lutheran Mission Church at Tarangambadi in South India. This coloured wood cut is held to be either a work of the famous German artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528 AD) or a very good copy of it. The third painting is the Last Supper painted by the British artist, Johann Zoffany, at St James’s Church at Calcutta 223 years ago.
St Mary’s Church is itself, built 321 years ago in 1680 is an important landmark in the history of Christian India. The altar piece in the Church is the large painting of the Last Supper. According to a book on the history of the St Mary’s Church (circa 1960) "This picture measuring ten feet by eight is said to be painted by a disciple of Raphael and the great master himself is said to have painted the chalice in the picture. Controversy will continue to rage as to the authenticity of Raphael’s (AD 1483-1520) hand work in the picture. One might have to bow down to critics and state that this painting is by an unknown artist. As such the painting at the Madras Church too can be one of the 1516-20 era. It came to the Madras Church two hundred and sixty years ago as one of the spoils, after the sacking of Pondicherry by the British. Today it is the oldest representation in India of the great Biblical scene.
Compared to the above painting, we know the complete history of the 223-year-old painting of the "Last Supper" at St James Church at Calcutta. Johann Zoffany (1733-1810) was one of the famous British painters of the 18th century. Today this Last Supper in the most authenticated painting of the Biblical episode in India and as the painting was getting discoloured after being displayed for nearly 230 years, in 2009 the German Institution Maxmueller Bhavan and INTACH are repairing it. MF
