This painting, part of the Fine Arts Collection of the Museu de Angra do Heroísmo, is entitled “Institution of the Eucharist,” the essential sacrament of Christian doctrine, in which the faithful receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ transubstantiated in the host.
The Feast of Corpus Christi, dating back to the 13th century, commemorates this sacrament in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Catholic, and Anglican Churches (the latter until 1548), celebrated annually 60 days after Easter, on the second Thursday following Pentecost Sunday, known in the Azores as the Sunday of the Holy Spirit.
With a clear Flemish influence, the highlighted work, on display in the exhibition “From the Sea and the Land… A History in the Atlantic,” is attributed to the famous Espinheiro workshop, which operated between 1517 and 1539 at the convent of the same name near Évora under the direction of Frei Carlos, a Hieronymite friar of Flemish origin, about whom little is known, though his work shows the influence of Memling, Bouts, and Metsys.
Object:
“Institution of the Eucharist”
Frei Carlos, Espinheiro Workshop
16th century (first half)
Oak wood, oil painting
57.4 x 280 cm
MAH D96487
Text: Francisco Lima
