Preparatory drawing for The Last Supper

The Church Council of the Lieve-Vrouweparochie in Mechelen called upon the Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, for help in the acquisition of the preparatory drawing for the painting of The Last Supper on the high altar, made by Jan Erasmus Quellinus (1634-1715). The drawing by this master of Flemish Baroque painting, will now alternatively be exhibited in the church and kept at the Hof van Busleyden Museum, also in Mechelen. This arrangement is in order to prevent any damage being made to the drawing as a result of its being permanently on show.

A precious work

It was absolutely crucial for the Church Council of the Parish of Notre Dame of Mechelen, (the proprietor of the Notre Dame Beyond the Dyle Church in Mechelen) to acquire this inestimable drawing and to return it to its place of origin. Since its own funds were to be used for the in-situ restoration of the altar painting, the Church Council benefitted from the Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché Fund’s support to acquire this pictorial project made by Antwerp artist Jan Erasmus Quellinus. The acquisition is providing a unique opportunity to study the artist’s creative process thanks to a comparison between the preparatory work and the final painting.

The gestation of a work

This drawing, made by the Antwerp artist Jan Erasmus Quellinus, is the final project for the painting created for the high altar of the church of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijle in Mechelen. Prior to the painting’s large format execution, the work and its subject had firstly to be approved by those who were commissioning the painting. This drawing was therefore the preparatory work, richly detailed, in wash, pen, chalk and pencil on paper.

The Last Supper

The subject of the work is the Last Supper, as described in the Bible, and shows Christ at the table surrounded by Saint John and Saint Peter, as well as the ten other disciples. We can see Judas, the only character in the shadows, clasping the bag of 30 pieces of silver, symbol of his betrayal, in his left hand. The scene, shown from a low angle, is framed by an imposing antique architectural décor, characteristic of an Italian influence. The drawing is in an excellent state of conservation and is signed and dated at the base of the staircase: J Quellinus Pict. A. Cub. Caes. Ma.tis. F. A° 1689 (Jan Quellinus Painter at His Imperial Majesty’s Chamber 1689).

Painter Jan Quellinus

Jan Quellinus was born in Antwerp in 1634, and first started painting with his father, who was also an artist. His stay in Italy, between 1655 and 1660, influenced his art thanks to the discovery of Venetian painting and particularly the work of Paul Veronese whom he greatly admired. Indeed, the various iconographic elements, the trompe-l’oeil architecture, the composition of the scene and the attitudes of the characters in the preparatory drawing for The Last Supper all recall characteristics of 16th century Venetian painting. Quellinus is considered to be one of the masters of Flemish Baroque painting and he was official painter to the Emperor Leopold I and the Court of the Hapsburgs in Vienna. He died in Mechelen in 1715.

A Fund to safeguard our heritage

The Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché Fund has as its mission to safeguard Belgian heritage through acquisitions, restoration, publications and the promotion of Belgian works from all periods, except the contemporary. Thanks to its activities, this project for the altar painting by Jan Erasmus Quellinus will in alternation be exhibited in the church and kept at the Hof van Busleyden Museum in Mechelen, so as to guarantee optimal conditions of conservation for the drawing.