Courtesy the Art Institute of Chicago

Caravaggio’s "The Supper at Emmaus" (1601)

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On loan from London’s National Gallery, the 1601 painting will be the centerpiece of an installation in the institute's gallery 211 of its collection of "Caravaggesque" paintings. A gallery brochure will lead visitors to other galleries where the diffusion of Caravaggio's style throughout Europe is apparent in such works as Rembrandt's Old Man With a Gold Chain and Rubens's The Capture of Samson. Set in a dim tavern, Caravaggio’s painting depicts the moment when a resurrected but incognito Jesus reveals himself to two of his disciples. It is considered a prime example of the artist’s mature style, with its heightened realism and the sculptural qualities of its figures, who are lit against a dark background.

While the painting is at the Chicago museum, from Oct. 10 until Jan. 31, 2010, it will be one of the few Caravaggios on view anywhere in the United States.