Tintoretto, an Italian painter painted six varieties of Jesus’ Washing of the Feet. Now the image is kept in Room 25 of the Prado Museum. It was painted during 1548-1549 and commissioned by the Church of San Marcuola in Venice.
The image is painted on the right; Jesus sits on his knees and washes the feet of his disciple; Peter, reluctantly accepted that his master would wash his feet. The young disciple, John, helps them by holding a watering can to fill the tub. In line with the Biblical story, Jesus has a towel wrapped around his waist. He has taken off his blue robe, which lies behind him.
The other disciples stand scattered around the area and four of them sit at the table. To the left of the table, one disciple helps another one to take off his pants. The disciple in the left foreground and the one to the right of the table take off their sandals to have their feet washed. The disciple standing in the background against a pillar is Judas, who is about to betray Jesus after the Last Supper.
To appreciate this painting, the spectators should look at it from the right side. When you stand to the right of the painting you can see that the perspective suddenly is correct and that this is a beautiful piece of artwork. The composition starts with Jesus and Saint Peter, continues through the middle of the table, and ends at the arch at the end of the water. We can even notice the tiles on the floor suddenly turning to a straight pattern.
This painting was originally to hang on the right side of the apse (the area where the altar stands) in a Venetian church. Therefore, churchgoers would automatically look at this painting from the right side.
This painting is also known as ‘Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet’. It is based on the Biblical story in John 13: 1-20, in which Jesus washes the feet of his disciples before they eat the Last Supper. Washing the feet was usual before having a dinner as the people at that time wore sandals and walked on dusty roads. Typically, a servant washes the feet of the guests before dinner.
Tintoretto loved the theme of Christ washing the feet of his disciples. And we find its five different versions at least. Just like he did in the San Marcuola Church in Venice, Tintoretto often combined this painting with a painting of the Last Supper.
One version of Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples is kept presently in the National Gallery in London. But the original one is at the San Trovaso Church in Venice. Another version is in the San Moisé Church in Venice. Yet another version, very similar to the one in the Prado Museum, hangs in the Shipley Gallery of Art in Gateshead, England
Tintoretto was a very energetic and productive painter, and he created a large number of paintings often containing many figures. His masterpiece, Paradise, hangs in the Doge’s Palace in Venice. He started this painting when he was 70 years old, it includes over 500 figures and measures about 25 x 9 meters.
The paintings contain a few interesting details in the depiction of Judas. We can see Judas in the background. He has a halo around his head. How a halo can be seen as he is about to betray Jesus! Halos are used to identify holy or sacred people. While Tintoretto is not the only artist to put a halo around the head of Judas, he has been more commonly depicted without a halo, and sometimes with a black or darker-colored halo to distinguish him from the other disciples.