Room 32

The supper table in Caravaggio’s The Supper at Emmaus seems close enough to enter. Outstretched arms and a basket near its edge pull the religious story towards the viewer. Caravaggio painted ordinary-looking people whose surprise is carried by a gesture or a sudden turn. Other painters here learned from classical sculpture and the Carracci academy in Bologna. Compare their idealised figures with Caravaggio’s people, and see how both approaches can build a dramatic encounter. The room also contains Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist, a scene with a severed head. You can choose another painting if that subject is uncomfortable for you or someone visiting with you.