The proposed acquisition is a hardwood relief (relleve) of the Last Supper. Likely to have been carved by a local Filipino artisan some time during the 19th century with the development of the religious artisanal industry, the scene depicts Jesus Christ embracing John the Beloved as Jesus Christ announces that he will soon be betrayed by one of the twelve apostles. The other identifiable characters in the relief include the Apostle Peter, who is standing to the right of Jesus Christ and John; Judas Iscariot, who is seen holding onto a pouch that is likely to contain the silver for which he was paid to betray Jesus Christ; and James the Greater, who is shown here throwing both his arms into the air to express his shock at Christ’s announcement. The inclusion of details such as the lamb served as a whole, as well as the cat and dog in the foreground, indicate that the woodcarver must have drawn inspiration from prints of the Last Supper that were circulated with missals. A local flavour is, however, retained in the relief through the depiction of oriental features and proportions of the human figures, as well as the native breeds of animals depicted – details which, therefore, render the proposed acquisition as a fine example of popular religious art in the Philippines that was used to supplement religious teachings.
