Holy Communion

Margareta Capsia, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, was born in Stockholm in 1682. In 1719, she married deacon Jacob Gavelin in Stockholm. The couple lived in the city until the end of the Great Northern War and returned to Vaasa in 1721, where Jacob Gavel had already been appointed curate three years prior. In 1730, they moved to Turku when Gavelin became treasurer of the cathedral. Margareta Capsia died a widow in Turku in 1759.

In the 1720s and 1730s, Margareta Capsia painted several altarpieces and portraits. The 1725 painting of the Holy Communion, which she painted for the church of the Pedersöre rural municipality and which is now in the collection of the National Museum of Finland, is her earliest known painting. The Pedersöre parish donated the work to the Finnish Antiquarian Society in 1898.

Margareta Capsia is the earliest known Finnish female artist. In this painting, her signature is on a floor tile at the bottom right. The canvas has been taken in slightly on each side, so the bottom edge of the signature is currently partly hidden under the frame.

According to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Jesus and his disciples gathered in Jerusalem for a meal, later to be known as “The Last Supper”. The altarpiece by Margareta Capsia depicts this biblical event. In the painting, Jesus and the disciples are gathered around a long table, and as is typical of depictions of the communion, Jesus is placed behind the table. Judas, who will betray him, sits on the opposite side of the table, a little apart from the other disciples.

Judas is distinguished by a purse containing the silver coins he received as a reward for his betrayal. Although Judas’ appearance is not portrayed in the biblical texts, he is often portrayed as red-haired and red-bearded, as in Capsia’s painting. Judas’ complexion, which is clearly darker than that of the other disciples, also distinguishes him from those present. He is also the only one who looks out of the painting, directly at the viewer.

In addition to Judas, Jesus’ closest disciple, John, is the only one who can be clearly identified: he leans on Jesus’ shoulder.

Jesus is holding a small piece of bread in his left hand and there is a goblet of wine on the table in front of him, which intentionally resembles the chalices used in churches. This tells the viewer the theological significance of the biblical story: the chalice and bread, the central elements of the communion, become the central elements of the painting and emphasise its sacramental significance.

The painting by Margareta Capsia is based on a copper-plate print by the engraver Matthäus Merian, who was born in Basel and lived in 1593–1650. Merian illustrated the entire Bible and many artists used his engravings as models for their own works. Merian’s Bible illustrations were published in the early 1600s.