The Supper of Emmaus

The Supper of Emmaus is an interesting preparatory sketch in pencil realized by the French artist Michel Dumas in the mid-19 ^th century. The state of preservation is very good, except for a small dark stain in the center of the left margin and a darker part on the higher left margin.

Michel Dumas was a French painter from Lyons. He was a pupil of Grobon and Bonnefond at the School of Fine Arts in Lyons. He moved to Paris, where he entered the workshop of Ingres, with whom he established a lifelong friendship. Thanks to the income from private commissions, he left for Rome, where he has stayed, with Ingres, for 16 years. He ended his career in his hometown as professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyons and died in 1878.

The subject is traditional, with the blessing Christ in the center and two disciples on the sides. The whole scene is surrounded by a classic architectural frame: a courtyard enclosed with a tall balustrade and plants, a ladder, and a huge door that frames the figure of Christ.

The drawing is very interesting because it is a preparatory sketch realized by an important artist with expert technical skills especially in sacred art.