The son of a missionary and a carpenter, David Butler inherited from his parents his spiritual nature and his ability to work with items at hand such as the perforated tin used in this piece. He filled his small yard and the walls, windows, and doors of his house with whirligigs, birds, animals, and moving figures. He even found a way to carry his environment with him in the form of an elaborately decorated bicycle. Despite their whimsical appearance, however, Butler’s creations may have been designed to ward off evil. To filter light and provide privacy—and possibly protection—Butler mounted this depiction of Christ’s last meal with his disciples on one of his windows.