Nicolas Poussin, Eucharist

In the late 1630s, Poussin painted one of the summits of his art: the first series of Seven Sacraments. Commissioned by his friend and patron, the Roman antiquarian and collector Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588–1657), Poussin depicted the seven rites of the Catholic Church: Baptism, Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination and Extreme Unction. The series was celebrated for its beauty, innovation, and the careful depiction of these practices in their historic context. It was so successful that a second suite of sacraments was commissioned from Poussin in the late 1640s by the French collector, Paul Fréart de Chantelou (1609–1694).

Poussin represents the sacrament of Eucharist with a depiction of the candlelit Last Supper. In this highly symmetrical composition, Christ holds the bread and cup of wine in one hand and raises the other in blessing. He is seated at a Roman triclinium (padded couch), with six disciples on either side. Judas is probably seated second from the left, the only disciple who does not turn towards Christ. Although all four Gospels recount the Last Supper, Poussin has followed that described in John 13:23, in which John the Baptist rests against Christ’s side. The figures in Eucharist are smaller than in other paintings from the first series of sacraments, with much of the canvas given over to the grand architectural setting. In the background, a shadowy figure retreats through an open door, creating a sense of movement in the otherwise still scene.

The most striking feature of this painting is its dramatic use of light, which comes from three sources: the two flames of the double-wicked lamp above Christ’s head and the candle on the stool in the centre left foreground. With these multiple light sources, Poussin sets in motion a complex play of shadow projection, with elements casting two or even three shadows. The finely turned leg of the triclinium in the left foreground, for example, has minute highlights and two distinct areas of shadow. Poussin appears to have devised this highly individual lighting arrangement after reading a manuscript owned by dal Pozzo and based on a lost treatise by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519). It imbues the painting with a hushed, dramatic atmosphere.

Eucharist has been executed with Poussin’s characteristic precision. A pinpoint hole can easily be made out in the fanlight window above Christ’s head, used by the artist to plot the picture’s perspective. In the foreground, the grid of floor tiles has been rigorously planned, and may suggest the use of Poussin’s grande machine: a large box, rather like a toy theatre, into which Poussin placed wax figurines to devise and stage his compositions. Poussin has paid a great deal of attention to the rhythm of the disciples’ hands across the picture, several of which are held up to receive Christ’s blessing.

In 1785, the first series of Seven Sacraments was brought to Britain, where Sir Joshua Reynolds, founding President of the Royal Academy, declared ‘The Poussins are a real national object.’ Six paintings from the series survive, Penance having been destroyed by fire in 1816. Baptism was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. in 1939; Ordination by the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth in 2011; and Extreme Unction by The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge in 2013. In 2023, Confirmation was sold abroad. Acquired by the National Gallery in 2024, Eucharist now represents this major commission in the national collection.