Featured old wood sculpture of the Last Supper

I have this last supper wood carving that is within the family for a very long time. It was part of an ancient Scriptural Way of the Cross, and recover from a burned church a few centuries ago. I also would like to know if there is something existing and comparable from anybody who could have been in touch with this type of art before.

Of course there is no markings and the wood has been retouched with the time. The sculpture seems to be related to the St Jacob's basilica in Levoča, because of the same symbols and representation of the scene that is painted on one of the twenty-one altars. There is no other place that I am able to compare such similitude. The wood appears to be Satinwood, but I have some doubt. I use to know all of the north american wood's type, but this one is out of my league. This piece is one of the most heavy, I have ever seen, and weight more than 25 pounds for its relatively small size. (18.5 inches wide x 16.5 inches high and 1-5/8 inches thick).

Although, there is a very interesting point about this piece. During the first centuries, the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is remembered by Roman Catholics as one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, the First Station of the Scriptural Way of the Cross and by most Christians as the inauguration of the New Covenant, mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah and fulfilled at the last supper.

Also, the scripture in latin is specific and means "I arose and am still with you". Not quite made to represent "the last supper" but to emphasize on a doctrine that could be significant when this sculpture was done. (I was, I am and I will always be with you). This is a unique sculpture that has survived for centuries. Thanks for any help.

 

Hi Léonce! Welcome!

You will need to take a picture of the back and the edges in good, bright light. Seeing those areas will help determine if the wood is old and oxidized.

Who told you the story of the wood this is carved of being rescued from a burning church? And in what country did this happen? You think the wood is North American?

 

I will get back to you with the pictures today. Thanks.

 

unless this was professionally cleaned by an art restorer ....I see no evidence of...
" recover from a burned church a few centuries ago."

& even then.....the heat would have shrunk and cracked the wood, to a point that I'm just not seeing.

For a claim like this to have any voracity ...you'd need documents , or at least a drawing showing the carving in the church !

 

I see that Levoča is in Slovakia. Do you think this plaque is from a church in Slovakia also?

 

Could be. The Slovak republic has a lot of forested areas to this day; the glass stuff came out of Bohemia and the Slovaks did the wood carving if memory serves.

 

My old old grand mother had a very interesting story about the sculpture. It is from one of the churches that were heavely damaged on the ''Ile d'Orléans," just beside Québec city during the British invasion. The young king of France just gave the ''Nouvelle France" in the hands of the British Kingdom. The churches were the strongest construction at that time and the British Army used them as accomodations and citadelles. Also, to demoralize the French colons, the churches were the first military targets. The British soldiers were Anglican Protestants and the churches in the ''Nouvelle France" were Catholics.

As the story goes, it is possible to find historic official papers as the following example: ''During the invasion of the British army in New France (1756 - 1760), it was ordered to comply with the catholic churches values. Nevertheless, on the Beaupré coast, a church was burned and another occupied at the beginning of the invasion. On the island of Orleans, five churches are damaged. Around Québec it is the chaos, and churches are first aimed by the English."

''In the months that followed, and when the full invasion became inevitable, the Grand Vicar Briand urged the clergy of the Beaupré coast to retreat further into the woods with the parishioners, carrying the effects of churches and all that was possible to save. Here as elsewhere, they hastened to shelter all the church's ornaments. Later, all parishes in New France also comply with the same instructions."

''During these five years of turmoil, where everything is done to save the church's treasures, a british officer named Knox arrives in Saint-Laurent, June 27, 1759. When he takes a moment to visit the church, he found an entire empty building. All ornaments were transported elsewhere by the parishioners. Everything was hidden in the vaults of the Ursulines, or hidden in northen village barns, or buried far in the wood."

According to my old old grand mother, this ''last supper" sculpture was what left of the First Station of the Scriptural Way of the Cross of one of the churches on the Island. Her words were that it was a miracle that sculpture has survived that time of chaos and war.

My old old grandfather did the Klondike during the rush of gold. Apparently he was a stubborn man and always trying to perfect things. Because the sculpture was not straight on the back side and was not standing flush to the wall, he bring it to the village wood mill and he cut the back straight... was the kind of family restoration. It is possible to see the saw cut.

The two sides of the sculpture where the grains are open to the air, you will remark that the color is black, from the smoke and the time. The top and the bottom is relatively the same color than the front.

Again, thanks a lot for the interest and your knowledge, I really appreciate.

 

This is the big question, but I think this sculpture is from East Europe because of the type of wood.

 

When you say your "old old" grandparents - you have to remember that some of us are grandparents. You would be better off saying, "my grandmother who was born in 1912" or whatever year so we can actually figure out a timeline for the person who gave this to you.

The other thing you need to know, and this is from someone who has been in the antique business since I was 8 years old (1957) helping my parents in their store, is that you cannot trust word of mouth. You just can't. My father would tell anybody anything in order to sell an item. Maybe your old old grandmother got this from someone who told her that, but it doesn't make it true.

With any antique, you need provenance - proof of where an item came from. By the way, my grandparents were actually from Quebec.

I am not seeing that kind of age on this piece. Not just the wood, but the style of carving does not look like the 18th century. This looks like 20th century stylistically and I doubt it was ever near a fire.

 

I might add that, being French Canadian Catholic, this is NOT one of the Stations of the Cross. The Last Supper is just that. No relationship to the Stations. The 12 Stations of the Cross show Jesus' journey from Pontius Pilate to Golgotha and the tomb.

 

If this is true, it is going to be impossible to date this with any certainty. That saw mark is from a wide circular saw and puts this to mid 19th century at the earliest. I am more inclined to believe the saw mark is original and the story was created to justify the saw mark. This is the skeptic in me and is as any antique sleuth would be. Not saying your story is false. Just hard to believe and would be discounted by anyone trying to authenticate this.

 

Just to be more explicit about it, and according to the old fellows of course, the family has this item since the firsts colons came on the new land. I am from an old family and my ancestors came all from France back to the 17th century. The item was always in one of the kitchen family wall facing the East side... for spiritual reasons, according to the old fellows. For now, I am one of the last of my generation and when my father past away in 2010, I inherited a lot of family stuff. The point is nobody were trying to sell this item, because according also to the family values, this has to stay in the family... maybe or maybe not...

I did some research to know where this item could be really come from, and I have founded nothing similar, in term of the type of wood. Which is a crucial fact in finding the period of the piece according to the professional woodcarvers I have shown the item. And yes, the style is comparable to some wood carvings in few Montréal churches that were done between 1930 to 1940 (early contemporary period). The significant difference is the type of wood. You are right about the 20th century early contemporary style. But the type of wood just do not match the wood that was used here in North America during that period. You can see the similar style with these two examples from Montréal and the exactitude of the wood work.





As I said, I would like to know if somebody had been in a close encounter with something similar or can guide me or give me some clues. Thanks a lot for your time and info by the way. I can tell without any doubts that your knowledge is helping us here.

 

if you can find any photo's of it in your families home............big

 

Looks like walnut to me.

 

The Way of the Cross, in the actual form where Catholics are used to know, are of comparatively recent and dating back about to the 19th century. However, the history goes back well before, to the days when pilgrims were able to go to Jerusalem and walk in the footsteps of Jesus in the fourth century. Devotion to The Way of the Cross emphases close after 1342 when the Franciscans became the custodiant of the holy sites in the Holy Land. The number of stations varied widely. Some manuals of devotion have listed as many as 37.

Depictions of the events described in the Stations did not start becoming common in churches until Pope Innocent XI permitted the Franciscans around 1686 to erect such displays in their churches. Pope Benedict XIII extended that privilege to all the faithful in 1726. Five years later, Pope Clement XII allowed all churches to have stations and fixed the number at 14. Benedict XIV specifically urged every church around 1742 to enrich its sanctuary with more stations. In recent years, many churches have included the Resurrection as a 15th station. St. Alphonsus Ligouri, in 1787, wrote a version of the Stations that most Catholics recognize because it was used in most churches throughout the 20th centuries.

The long devotion process of the Way of the Cross circle two elements that should be arised. One is the fluctuation of the representation of the first station and the variety of the other stations. With regard to the earliest Stations of the Cross, historians record at least two interesting episodes chosen as the first station.

The Washing of the Feet. This first station is set in the event of the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist, is found in some Stations of the Cross of the second half of the 17th century, which were very popular.

The Agony in Gethsemane. The Garden of Olives, where in the last loving obedience to his Father, Jesus chooses to drink the chalice of his Passion to the last drop. It was the initial Station of a brief 17th century set of the Stations of the Cross, which were consisting of seven. Noteworthy for its biblical rigour.

In order to provide an analysis of the Last Supper woodcarving which seems to represente a mixed version of the said episodes before, more specifically aligned with the biblical accounts; there is only a chalice on the middle of the table with nothing else on the table. I mean, no bread as it must be there if this is the Last Supper scene.

Thanks again for your time and response.

 

In order to provide an analysis of the Last Supper woodcarving which seems to represente a mixed version of the said episodes before, more specifically aligned with the biblical accounts; there is only a chalice on the middle of the table with nothing else on the table. I mean, no bread as it must be there if this is the Last Supper scene.

Please cher....

In paintings where only a chalice is on the table......the bread is in his hand !!!
( just like yours...)

'L ultima cena' di Philippe De Champaigne (1602-1674, Belgium)




Ethiopian Orthodox Painting of the Last Supper

 

You are right, in most of the early paintings (15th to 17th centuries), it was the representation of one chalice on the table and the piece of bread in his hand. It could be another clue. Thanks.

 

I've been a furniture maker and master woodcarver for over 25 yrs. The wood looks like African mahogany. This type of wood is very heavy and hard. It's used for its ability to hold detail and for its durability. In my opinion anyway☺.

 

Would you say the wood shows 200 years of age ?

 

In addition to wood working I do many high end restorations . The end grain is darker because it's open and collects dirt and oils from hands, which is commonly seen on end grain. The sides are definitely cut with a primative hand saw . But I think the cut marks on back may be orginal. Because it would have really hard or impossible to run such a small piece though a mill saw. And is more likely to have been a long board and this piece was cut afterwards. But again it's merely an opion.