Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples / Palma il Giovane

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Record Details

Accession Number
1970/2.34
Title
Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples
Artist Nationality
Italian
Artist Life Dates
(Venice, 1544 - 1628, Venice)
Object Creation Date
1615-1620 or later
Object Creation Place
Europe (continent)
Italy (nation)
Creation Place 1
Europe (continent)
Creation Place 2
Italy (nation)
Inscription
Inscribed l.r. corner in brown ink in an old hand: Palma / il giovane 1575
Dimensions
21.8 cm x 42.4 cm (8 9/16 in. x 16 11/16 in.)
Century
17th century
Primary Object Classification
Drawing
Primary Object Type
prepatory drawing
Physical Description
This pen, ink, and wash drawing on blue-gray paper is horizontally oriented. It portrays an open interior space, and on the left is a scene in the foreground with Christ with a halo, surrounded by four figures. Christ is kneeling before a seated man, with his right hand over his heart and his left arm indicating a basin of water on the floor. The seated man twists towards Christ with his arms stretching out away from Christ. All of the figures are dressed simply in flowing robes. The right side of the drawing portrays four figures in the background around a table by an open doorway gesturing in conversation. In front of the table are two vessels and a stool. At the far right, in the foreground, are two more figures, one seated on an object that bears the artist’s signature, and the other standing behind him and making a hand gesture towards Christ.
Subject Matter
Derived from the New Testament story (John 13:1-17) of Christ washing the feet of his disciples at the moment of the Last Supper, Palma depicts the moment when Christ insists on washing Simon Peter’s feet. The disciple is hesitant to have his master perform such a humbling act, but Christ insists that this is setting a precedent for what the disciples will do after Christ is gone. Christ already knows that one of his disciples (Judas) will betray him, and the disciples pictured at the table in the background point to themselves as if they are questioning whether or not they will be the one to betray Christ. The scene is completed with classical imagery, in the columns of the architecture, the flowing robes, the vessels, and the muscular, expressive bodies.
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
1459 x 759
File Size
91 KB
Record
1970/2.34
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1970-sl-2.34/1970_2.34.jpg

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1970-SL-2.34:1970_2.34.JPG

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"Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples; Palma il Giovane." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1970-sl-2.34/1970_2.34.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 19, 2024.
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