The Last Communion of Saint Mary of Egypt
Medium
Oil on copper
Dimensions
16 3/4 x 21 3/8 in. (42.5 x 54.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Wrightsman Fund, 1996
Accession Number
1996.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the hushed intimacy of *The Last Communion of Saint of Egypt*, Marcantonio Franceschini captures a sacred moment of redemption from 1680. This oil on copper painting, measuring 16 3/4 x 21 3/8 inches, depicts the penitent saint—once a notorious sinner who retreated to the Egyptian desert for spiritual purification—receiving her final Eucharist Surrounded by figures including men, women, saints, angels, the scene evokes profound themes of grace, forgiveness, and the triumph of faith over human frailty, deeply resonant in the Counter-Reformation era. chini, a Bolognese artist active in late ...