"The Supper at Emmaus" – a dramatic scene of Christ revealing Himself to two disciples

(1753 Salzburg - 1829 Prague) The painting "The Supper at Emmaus" is a work of late Rococo, depicting the dramatic scene of Christ revealing himself to two disciples. It is based on the famous 1611 painting by Rubens, which is reversed. Bergler initially studied in Passau and then, with the support of the prince-bishop, went to Milan in 1776 and to Rome in 1781, where he joined the Mengs circle and studied the great Italian masters (including Raphael and Domenichino). In 1786 he returned to Passau, where he became the "cabinet painter" at the episcopal residence. After Bergler had already been painting church works in Passau since 1774, starting in 1786 he produced, through numerous commissions, more than 200 church paintings in Passau, Lower Bavaria, and neighboring Austria. In 1800, Bergler was appointed director of the newly founded Prague Academy of Fine Arts. There he also created numerous altarpieces for Bohemian churches. Oil, canvas; signed on the reverse; 112 cm x 92 cm. In a frame.