Painter of the 17th century – Austria Lot n° 19

Jesus in the Garden of Olives oil on canvas 255 x 245 cm After the Last Supper, Jesus goes alone to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives to pray alone. While Christ is kneeling near trees in a long blue cloak, with his hands slightly raised and his gaze turned to the evening sky, an angel dressed in white and holding the Eucharistic chalice, prefiguration of the Passion, comes from above. This image fits perfectly with Luke's Gospel story: “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him to strengthen him. And being in agony, he prayed still more earnestly; and his sweat became like big drops of blood falling to the ground”. Behind on the left, his disciples, Peter, John and James the Elder lie asleep. In the background on the right, a full moon can be seen in the clouds of the night. In the tradition of the Catholic Church, the prayer in the Garden of Olives is the first painful mystery of the rosary.