The Last Supper from Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most famous paintings in the world. It depicts what was Jesus’ last meal. But, where is Judas in the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci?
Judas is sitting a few seats away from Jesus in the painting. He is depicted in shadow, holding a small bag of gold. This is meant to be symbolic of the fact that he was going to betray Jesus.
Let’s go into a bit more depth on this, because The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci really is a fascinating painting!
Was Judas Present In The Last Supper?
Yes. Judas was present at the Last Supper. Not just in the Leonardo Da Vinci painting, but also in The Bible.
According to The Bible, Jesus knew that he was about to be betrayed by one of his disciples. Shortly after the conclusion of The Last Supper, he is arrested and put on trial. He is, ultimately, crucified.
Judas had to be present for The Last Supper because he is the one that betrayed Jesus. He kissed Jesus, which identified Jesus to the Romans.
Obviously, there is a lot more to the backstory of The Last Supper, but this is all that you really need to know. We do suggest that you carry out a bit of research, though. The Last Supper really is a fascinating part of the Bible.
Where Does Judas Sit At The Last Supper?
Jesus is sitting in the dead center of the painting.
If you count to the left from Jesus, Judas is the second person in. He is the one that is hunching over the table, clutching what is seemingly a small bag of silver, although this has never been confirmed.
Who Is Judas in Leonardo da Vinci Last Supper?
Judas is the person hunched over the table to the left of Jesus. Jesus is located in the center of the Last Supper painting.
If you look closely, you will notice that Judas is located in the shadows. He is also clutching a small bag of silver, and knocking over something that may be a salt cellar.
He is the only person wearing red, green, and blue clothing.
How Is Judas Depicted In The Last Supper?
Because The Last Supper is the most famous painting in the world, it has undergone a lot of intense scrutinies. Obviously, we don’t have Leonardo Da Vinci telling us what he meant when he painted the painting. There is always a good chance that art historians have looked too far into the painting, and they have drawn the wrong conclusions. Still, we can give you a brief idea of what is supposedly depicted in the painting.
As mentioned before, Judas is the person that is hunched over the table. If you look at the painting, you will notice that he is clutching a small bag. There is some speculation that this may be a bag of silver. This could indicate the silver that Judas has just been paid for betraying Jesus. However, as we said, it could just be people reading too much into the position of Judas. If you read The Bible, you will notice that Judas is also the treasurer, which is another reason why he would be holding the bag of money, if it is a bag of money.
What is apparent is the fact that Judas is depicted as being in the shadows. This indicates that he has a bit more of a dark side. Leonardo Da Vinci has carefully positioned Judas in the shadows to make this incredibly apparent.
He is also knocking over a salt cellar. There is actually a lot of meaning here. In the past, if you knocked over the salt, it was a metaphor for betraying your master. Obviously, this is something that Judas ended up doing, so it is clear what Leonardo Da Vinci was going for in this part of his painting!
Who Were The 12 At The Last Supper?
There has been a lot of speculation about who was at The Last Supper. Obviously, we don’t even have a proper list of all of the disciples for Jesus, with each book giving a slightly different list of names.
If you read art historians that have reported on The Last Supper painting, then they are not even in agreement about who is depicted. However, it is likely to be the following (from the left):
- Bartholomew
- James
- Andrew
- Peter
- Judas Iscariot
- John
- Jesus (in the center of the picture)
- Thomas
- James the Greater
- Phillip
- Matthew
- Jude Thaddeus
- Simon the Zealot
In the painting, each of them is doing something slightly different which is meant to show off their personality, which certainly does mesh with the various readings people have given about the behavior of Judas Iscariot in the painting.
Who Sits At The Right Hand of Jesus In The Last Supper?
We will never know for sure who Leonardo Da Vinci put to the right of Jesus. However, it is likely going to be John. This is indicated by the hand on his shoulder. During the Last Supper, the hand on John’s shoulder was an indication that he should ask Jesus who was going to betray him. As we said before, everything about this painting is meant to show off parts of the Bible story related to the Last Supper.
Final Thoughts
Judas is depicted in The Last Supper by Leonarda Da Vinci. If you look at the painting, he is the only one depicted in the shadows and hunched over the table.
There is a lot of symbolism in The Last Supper painting, and if you know the Bible story related to this key moment in Christianity, then it is easy to spot.
There are 13 people depicted in the painting. This is Jesus and his 12 disciples, although it is unknown exactly which disciples are depicted here as the names can vary in the Bible.
Don’t forget to check out my other articles for all your painting Q&A’s. Happy painting!
