Oil paint on canvas
Tate Britain
Tate Collection
Works with images
Works on display
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/ford-madox-brown-65" aria-label="More by Ford Madox Brown" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Ford Madox Brown</a>
Jesus Washing Peters Feet
Presented by subscribers 1893
actions: postures and motions
actions: processes and functions
adults
Bible: New Testament
bowl
Christ
clothing and personal items
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
furnishings
humility
innocence
John, chapter 13
Judas Iscariot
kneeling
Last Supper
man
man, old
named individuals
objects
people
purse
religion and belief
Saints
shame
shoe
St Peter
Stephens, Frederic George
table
vessels and containers
washing / drying
<p>This picture illustrates the biblical story of Christ washing his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. It has an unusually low viewpoint and compressed space. Critics objected to the picture’s coarseness – it originally depicted Jesus only semi-clad. This caused an outcry when it was first exhibited and it remained unsold for several years until Ford Madox Brown reworked the figure in robes. Brown was never invited to join the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood but he was a close associate of the group. Several members modelled for the disciples in this picture and the critic FG Stephens sat for Christ.</p><p><em>Gallery label, November 2016</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
12 July 2003 – 15 August 2004
2004-08-15
12 July 2003 – 28 September 2003
2003-09-28
2003-07-12
Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth, Australia)
25 October 2003 – 15 February 2004
2004-02-15
2003-10-25
Dunedin Public Art Gallery (Dunedin, New Zealand)
http://www.dunedin.art.museum
14 May 2004 – 15 August 2004
2004-08-15
2004-05-14
Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville, USA)
2003-07-12
The Pre-Raphaelite Dream: Paintings and Drawings from the Tate Collection
Tate partnerships & programmes
1 August 2005 – 30 July 2007
2007-07-30
1 August 2005
2005-08-01
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2005-08-01
The Pre-Raphaelites
Collection based display
6 October 2007 – 27 January 2008
2008-01-27
6 October 2007 – 27 January 2008
2008-01-27
2007-10-06
Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester, UK)
http://www.manchestergalleries.org
2007-10-06
Art Treasures Revisited
Loan-out
24 September 2011 – 3 June 2012
2012-06-03
24 September 2011 – 29 January 2012
2012-01-29
2011-09-24
Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester, UK)
http://www.manchestergalleries.org
25 February 2012 – 3 June 2012
2012-06-03
2012-02-25
Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Ghent, Belgium)
http://www.gent.be/
2011-09-24
Ford Madox Brown: Pre-Raphaelite Pioneer
Loan-out
12 September 2012 – 31 January 2014
2014-01-31
12 September 2012 – 13 January 2013
2013-01-13
2012-09-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
17 February 2013 – 19 May 2013
2013-05-19
2013-02-17
National Gallery of Art (Washington DC, USA)
10 June 2013 – 22 September 2013
2013-09-22
2013-06-10
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia)
25 January 2014 – 6 April 2014
2014-04-06
2014-01-25
Mori Arts Centre (Tokyo, Japan)
19 April 2014 – 13 July 2014
2014-07-13
2014-04-19
Palazzo Chiablese (Turin, Italy)
2012-09-12
Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde
Exhibition
17 February 2013 – 31 August 2014
2014-08-31
17 February 2013 – 19 May 2013
2013-05-19
2013-02-17
National Gallery of Art (Washington DC, USA)
10 June 2013 – 13 October 2013
2013-10-13
2013-06-10
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia)
25 January 2014 – 6 April 2014
2014-04-06
2014-01-25
Mori Arts Centre (Tokyo, Japan)
19 April 2014 – 13 July 2014
2014-07-13
2014-04-19
Palazzo Chiablese (Turin, Italy)
2013-02-17
Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde
Loan-out
12 February 2016 – 5 June 2016
2016-06-05
12 February 2016 – 5 June 2016
2016-06-05
2016-02-12
Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool, UK)
http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
2016-02-12
Liverpool Pre-Raphaelites
Loan-out
14 December 2018 – 19 September 2021
2021-09-19
14 December 2018 – 28 April 2019
2019-04-28
2018-12-14
National Gallery of Australia (Canberra, Australia)
19 June 2019 – 6 October 2019
2019-10-06
2019-06-19
Palazzo Reale (Milan, Italy)
13 May 2021 – 19 September 2021
2021-09-19
2021-05-13
Hungarian National Gallery (Budapest, Hungary)
2018-12-14
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
Tate partnerships & programmes
Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet
support: 1168 × 1333 mm
frame: 1475 × 1640 × 98 mm
Presented by subscribers 1893
<div class="text">
<p>Ford Madox Brown broke convention to paint this Biblical scene of the Last Supper from the intimate point of view of someone kneeling and waiting their turn to have their feet washed. The focus on Jesus’ labour reflected the socialist politics that interested the Pre-Raphaelite circle. Brown’s model for Jesus was fellow Pre-Raphaelite Frederick Stephens. He originally posed naked to the waist to stress the physical work of the act of washing. The disciples were based on other members of the Pre-Raphaelite circle: Rossetti has his head in his hands. Brown was unable to sell the picture until he painted clothes on Jesus.</p>
</div>

Online caption
2023-11-29T00:00:00
online-caption
ONLINE_CAPTION
actions: postures and motions actions: processes and functions adults Bible: New Testament bowl Christ clothing and personal items emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas furnishings humility innocence John, chapter 13 Judas Iscariot kneeling Last Supper man man, old named individuals objects people purse religion and belief Saints shame shoe Stephens, Frederic George St Peter table vessels and containers washing / drying