s The Supper at Emmaus - Hull Museums Collections

The Supper at Emmaus

Volmarijn's painting shows the interest in candlelight effects that were popular particularly with artists in Utrecht during the 17th century. This style was developed in Italy by Caravaggio (1573-1610) and was brought back to Holland by Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656), a Utrecht painter whose work was a great influence on Vomarijn. The Biblical subject is the Supper at Emmaus, depicting two pilgrims sharing bread with a man the eventually realise to be Jesus (Luke 24:28ff). They are identified by the scallop shell, a traditional symbol of pilgrimage. The scene's revelatory nature is heightened by the exaggerated contrast of light and dark on the figures' faces and by the artist's simple, almost geometric figures with their pious gestures and expression.