The Last Supper

Juan de Juanes executed this Renaissance work around 1560 for the high altar of San Esteban church in Valencia. The composition adapts Leonardo da Vinci's famous Milan fresco, but Juanes softened the figures in a manner closer to Raphael. Each apostle reacts expressively to Christ's announcement of betrayal.

The most notable detail is the chalice: Juanes depicted the actual Holy Chalice of Valencia Cathedral, believed by some to be the Holy Grail used at the original Last Supper. Alfonso V of Aragon had given it to the cathedral from the royal collection. Juanes was the dominant painter in mid-16th-century Valencia, dedicating his career to religious iconography during an era of intense Counter-Reformation fervor. The painting measures 116 x 191 cm, oil on panel, and hangs at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.