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{{Short description|Mural painting by Leonardo da Vinci}}
{{Painting| image_file=Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - The Last Supper (1495-1498).jpg
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
| title=The Last Supper
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
| artist=Leonardo da Vinci
{{Infobox artwork
| year=[[1495]]–[[1497]]
| title = The Last Supper
| type=tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic
| other_language_1 = Italian
| height=460
| other_title_1 = Il Cenacolo
| width=880
| other_title_2 = L'Ultima Cena
| museum=Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)}}
| image = The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg
'''''The Last Supper''''' (in [[Italian language|Italian]], '''''Il Cenacolo''''' or '''''L'Ultima Cena''''') is a [[mural]] [[painting]] by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] for his patron [[Duke]] [[Lodovico Sforza]]. It represents the scene of [[The Last Supper]] from the final days of [[Jesus]] as depicted in the [[Bible]]. The painting is based on [[Gospel of John|John]] 13:21, which Jesus announced that one of his 12 [[apostle|disciple]]s would betray him. The painting is one of the most well known and valued in the world; unlike many other valuable paintings, however, it has never been privately owned because it cannot easily be moved.
| image_upright = 2
| artist = [[Leonardo da Vinci]]
| year = {{circa|1495–1498}}
| movement = [[High Renaissance]]
| type = [[Tempera]] on [[gesso]], [[pitch (resin)|pitch]], and [[mastic (plant resin)|mastic]]
| subject = The [[Last Supper]]
| height_metric = 460
| width_metric = 880
| height_imperial = 181
| width_imperial = 346
| city = [[Milan]], Italy
| museum = [[Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan|Santa Maria delle Grazie]]
| coordinates = {{coord|45|28|00|N|9|10|15|E|region:IT_source:kolossus-itwiki|display=title}}
| website = {{URL|https://cenacolovinciano.org/en/}}
}}
 
'''''The Last Supper''''' ({{langx|it|Il Cenacolo}} {{IPA|it|il tʃeˈnaːkolo|}} or {{lang|it|L'Ultima Cena}} {{IPA|it|ˈlultima ˈtʃeːna|}}) is a [[mural]] painting by the Italian [[High Renaissance]] artist [[Leonardo da Vinci]], dated to {{circa|1495–1498}}, housed in the [[refectory]] of the Convent of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan|Santa Maria delle Grazie]] in [[Milan]], Italy. The painting represents the scene of the [[Last Supper]] of [[Jesus]] with the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Twelve Apostles]], as it is told in the [[Gospel of John]]{{Snd}}specifically the moment after [[Jesus predicts his betrayal|Jesus announces that one of his apostles will betray him]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bianchini |first1=Riccardo |date=24 March 2021 |title=The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci – Santa Maria delle Grazie – Milan |url=https://www.inexhibit.com/mymuseum/last-supper-leonardo-da-vinci-santa-maria-delle-grazie-milan/ |access-date=19 October 2021 |website=Inexhibit}}</ref> Its handling of space, mastery of perspective, treatment of motion and complex display of human emotion has made it one of the Western world's most recognizable paintings and among Leonardo's most celebrated works.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100331091143.htm |title=Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' reveals more secrets |publisher=sciencedaily.com |access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> Some commentators consider it pivotal in inaugurating the transition into what is now termed the High Renaissance.<ref>Frederick Hartt, ''A History of Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture''; Harry N. Abrams Incorporated, New York, 1985, p. 601</ref><ref>Christoph Luitpold Frommel, "Bramante and the Origins of the High Renaissance" in ''Rethinking the High Renaissance: The Culture of the Visual Arts in Early Sixteenth-Century Rome'', Jill Burke, ed. Ashgate Publishing, Oxan, UK, 2002, p. 172.</ref>
==Composition and meaning==
 
The work was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron [[Ludovico Sforza]], [[list of dukes of Milan|Duke of Milan]]. In order to permit his inconsistent painting schedule and frequent revisions, it is painted with materials that allowed for regular alterations: [[tempera]] on [[gesso]], [[pitch (resin)|pitch]], and [[mastic (plant resin)|mastic]]. Due to the methods used, a variety of environmental factors, and intentional damage, little of the original painting remains today despite numerous restoration attempts, the last being completed in 1999. ''The Last Supper'' is Leonardo's largest work, aside from the ''[[Sala delle Asse]]''.
The painting measures 460 &times; 880 cm and can be found in the [[refectory]] of the [[convent]] of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]] in [[Milan]], [[Italy]]. The theme was a traditional one for refectories, but Leonardo's interpretation gave it much greater realism and depth. The [[lunette]]s above the main painting, formed by the triple arched ceiling of the refectory, are painted with [[Sforza]] [[coat-of-arms|coats-of-arms]]. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered by a [[Crucifixion]] fresco by [[Donato Montorfano]], to which Leonardo added figures of the Sforza family in tempera. (These figures have deteriorated in much the same way as has ''The Last Supper''.) Leonardo began work on ''The Last Supper'' in [[1495]] and completed it in [[1498]] &mdash; however, he did not work on the piece continuously throughout this period.
 
== Painting ==
The Last Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each apostle when [[Jesus]] said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. From left to right:
=== Commission and creation ===
''The Last Supper'' measures {{convert|460|×|880|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan|Santa Maria delle Grazie]] in Milan, Italy. The theme was a traditional one for [[refectory|refectories]], although the room was not a refectory at the time that Leonardo painted it. The main church building was still under construction while Leonardo was composing the painting. Leonardo's patron, [[Ludovico Sforza]], planned that the church should be remodeled as a family mausoleum. To this end, changes were made, perhaps to plans by [[Donato Bramante]]. These plans were not fully carried out, and a smaller mortuary chapel was constructed, adjacent to the cloister.<ref name=Timeout>{{cite web |title=Santa Maria delle Grazie & The Last Supper |work=Time Out |url=http://www.timeout.com/milan/attractions/venue/1:7329/santa-maria-delle-grazie-the-last-supper |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329015213/http://www.timeout.com/milan/attractions/venue/1:7329/santa-maria-delle-grazie-the-last-supper |archive-date=29 March 2013 |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref> The painting was commissioned by Sforza to decorate the wall of the mausoleum. The [[lunette]]s above the main painting, formed by the triple arched ceiling of the refectory, are painted with [[House of Sforza|Sforza]] [[Coat of arms|coats-of-arms]]. The opposite wall of the refectory is covered by the ''Crucifixion'' fresco by [[Giovanni Donato da Montorfano]], to which Leonardo added figures of the Sforza family in [[tempera]]; these figures have deteriorated in much the same way as has ''The Last Supper''.<ref name=King2012>{{cite book |last=King |first=Ross |title=Leonardo and the Last Supper |page=271 |publisher=Bloomsbury |___location=New York |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-62040-308-2}}</ref>
 
Leonardo worked on ''The Last Supper'' from about 1495 to 1498, but he did not work continuously. The beginning date is not certain, as the archives of the convent for the period have been destroyed. A document dated 1497 indicates that the painting was nearly completed at that date.<ref>Kenneth Clark. ''Leonardo da Vinci'', Penguin Books 1939, 1993, p. 144.</ref> A prior from the monastery reportedly complained to Leonardo about its delay. Leonardo wrote to the head of the monastery, explaining he had been struggling to find the perfect villainous face for Judas, and that if he could not find a face corresponding with what he had in mind, he would use the features of the prior who had complained.<ref name=Lair>{{cite web |title=The Last Supper |publisher=lairweb.org.nz |url=http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/supper.html |access-date=21 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=Steel2003>{{cite episode |title=DaVinci |series=The Mark Steel Lectures |network=[[BBC]] |url=http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/ou-on-the-bbc-mark-steel-lectures-da-vinci-the-lecture |publisher=The Open University |airdate=7 October 2003 |series-no=2 |number=2 |access-date=21 December 2012 |archive-date=17 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917110707/http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/ou-on-the-bbc-mark-steel-lectures-da-vinci-the-lecture |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Bartholomew]], [[Saint James the Less|James the Lesser]] and [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] form a group of three, all are surprised. Andrew holds both of his hands up in a "stop!" gesture.
*[[Judas Iscariot]], [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[John the Apostle|John]] form another group of three. Judas is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag of silver, given to him as payment to betray Jesus. Peter looks angry; perhaps foreshadowing Peter's reaction in Gethsemane. Peter is holding a knife, which is pointed away from Christ, also a foreshadowing of Peter's violent protection of Christ in Gethsemane. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
*[[Thomas (Apostle)|Thomas]], [[Saint James the Great|James Major]] and [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]] are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation.
*[[Matthew the Evangelist|Matthew]], [[Saint Jude|Jude Thaddeus]] and [[Simon the Zealot]] are a part of the final group of three. Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.
 
In 1557, [[Gian Paolo Lomazzo]] wrote that Leonardo's friend [[Bernardo Zenale]] advised him to leave Christ's face unfinished, arguing that "it would be impossible to imagine faces lovelier or gentler than those of [[James the Great]]er or [[James the Less]]." Leonardo apparently took the advice.<ref name=Durant2001>{{Cite book |last=Durant |first=Will |author-link=Will Durant |title=Heroes of History: A Brief History of Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age |page=206 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |___location=New York |year=2001 |oclc=869434122 |isbn=978-0-7432-2612-7 }}</ref>
These names are all agreed upon by art historians. In the [[19th century]], a [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5000 manuscript] (''The Notebooks Leonardo Da Vinci'' pg. 232)
was found with their names; before this only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus were positively identified.
 
<gallery widths="350" heights="200">
In common with other depictions of the Last Supper from this period, Leonardo adopts the convention of seating the diners on one side of the table, so that none of them have their backs to us. However, most previous depictions had typically excluded Judas by placing him alone on the opposite side of the table from the other twelve. Another technique commonly used was placing halos around all the disciples except Judas. Leonardo creates a more dramatic and realistic effect by having Judas lean back into shadow. He also creates a realistic and psychologically engaging means to explain why Judas takes the bread at the same time as Jesus, just after Jesus has predicted that this is what his betrayer will do. Jesus is shown saying this to Saints Thomas and James to his left, who react in horror as Jesus points with his left hand to a piece of bread before them. Distracted by the conversation between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread, as, unseen by him, Jesus too stretches out with his right hand towards it. All of the angles and lighting draw attention to Christ.
File:Donato Montorfano Crocifissione di Santa Maria delle Grazie Milano.jpg|''Crucifixion'' by [[Giovanni Donato da Montorfano]], 1495, opposite Leonardo's ''Last Supper''
File:"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - Joy of Museums.jpg|The painting as it appears on the refectory wall
File:Santa Maria delle Grazie with Leonardo's The Last Supper.jpg|alt=The refectory with the last supper on the far wall|The refectory
</gallery>
 
=== Medium ===
Leonardo, as a painter, favoured [[oil painting]], a medium which allows the artist to work slowly and make changes with ease. [[Fresco]] painting does not facilitate either of these objectives. Leonardo also sought a greater luminosity and intensity of light and shade ([[chiaroscuro]]) than could be achieved with fresco,<ref name=smart>{{cite web |url=http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html |title=Leonardo's Last Supper |website=Smart history presented by the Khan Academy |access-date=25 February 2014 |archive-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215025349/http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> in which the water-soluble colours are painted onto wet [[plaster]], laid freshly each day in sections. Rather than using the proven method of painting on walls, Leonardo painted ''The Last Supper'' in tempera, the medium generally used for [[panel painting]]. The painting is on a stone wall sealed with a double layer of [[gesso]], pitch, and mastic.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}} Then he added an undercoat of [[white lead]] to enhance the brightness of the tempera that was applied on top. This was a method that had been described previously by [[Cennino Cennini]] in the 14th century. However, Cennini described the technique as being more risky than fresco painting, and recommended the use of painting in a more superficial medium for the final touches only.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hellomilano.it/hm/sights/the-last-supper/ |title=The Last Supper |website=The Last Supper |access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>
Leonardo painted ''The Last Supper'' on a dry wall rather than on wet [[plaster]], so it is not a true [[fresco]]. Because a fresco cannot be modified as the artist works, Leonardo instead chose to seal the stone wall with a layer of [[pitch (resin)|pitch]], [[gesso]] and [[mastic]], then paint onto the sealing layer with [[tempera]]. Because of the method used, the piece has not withstood time very well – within several years of completion it already began showing signs of deterioration.
 
=== Subject ===
==Damage and restorations==
<imagemap>
As early as 1517 the painting was starting to flake. By [[1556]] &mdash; less than sixty years after it was finished &mdash; Leonardo's [[biographer]] [[Giorgio Vasari]] described the painting as already "ruined" and so deteriorated that the figures were unrecognisable. In [[1652]] a doorway was cut through the (then unrecognisable) painting, and later bricked up; this can still be seen as the irregular [[arch]] shaped structure near the centre base of the painting. It is believed, through early copies, that Jesus' feet were in a position symbolizing the forthcoming crucifixion. A first restoration was attempted in [[1726]] by [[Michelangelo Bellotti]], who filled in missing sections with [[oil paint]] then [[varnish]]ed the whole. This repair lasted very poorly and another restoration was attempted in [[1770]] by [[Giuseppe Mazza]]. Mazza stripped off Bellotti's work then largely repainted the painting; he had redone all but three faces when he was halted due to public outrage. In [[1796]] [[France|French]] [[troop]]s used the refectory as a [[prison]]; it is not known if any of the prisoners may have damaged the painting. In [[1821]] [[Stefano Barezzi]], an expert in removing whole frescoes from their walls intact, was called in to remove the painting to a safer ___location; he badly damaged the centre section before realising that Leonardo's work was not a fresco. Barezzi then attempted to reattach damaged sections with [[adhesive|glue]]. From [[1901]] to [[1908]], [[Luigi Cavenaghi]] first completed a careful study of the structure of the painting, then began cleaning it. In [[1924]] [[Oreste Silvestri]] did further cleaning, and stabilised some parts with [[stucco]]. During [[World War II]], on [[August 15]] [[1943]], the refectory was struck by a [[bomb]]; protective [[sandbag]]ging prevented the painting being struck by bomb splinters, but it may have been damaged further by the [[vibration]]. From [[1951]] to [[1954]] another clean-and-stabilise restoration was undertaken by [[Mauro Pelliccioli]].
File:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg|thumb|640px|center|alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci – Clickable Image|''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci <small>''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''</small>
 
poly 550 2550 750 2400 1150 2300 1150 2150 1200 2075 1500 2125 1525 2300 1350 2800 1450 3000 1700 3300 1300 3475 650 3500 550 3300 450 3000 [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]]
===Major restoration===
poly 1575 2300 1625 2150 1900 2150 1925 2500 1875 2600 1800 2750 1600 3250 1425 3100 1400 2800 1375 2600 [[James the Less]]
From [[1978]] to [[1999]] [[Pinin Brambilla Barcilon]] guided a major restoration project which undertook to permanently stabilise the painting, and reverse the damage caused by dirt, pollution, and the misguided [[18th century]] and [[19th century]] restoration attempts. Since it had proved impracticable to move the painting to a more controlled environment, the refectory was instead converted to a sealed, [[climate control]]led environment. Then, detailed study was undertaken to determine the painting's original form, using scientific tests (especially [[infrared]] [[reflectoscopy]] and microscopic core-samples), and original [[cartoon]]s preserved in the Royal Library at [[Windsor Castle]]. Some areas were deemed unrestorable. These were re-painted with [[watercolour]] in subdued colours intended to indicate they were not original work, whilst not being too distracting.
poly 1960 2150 2200 2150 2350 2500 2450 2575 2375 2725 2375 2900 2225 3100 2225 3225 1600 3225 1825 2700 1975 2450 1925 2300 [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]]
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poly 2750 2500 2950 2400 3125 2600 3175 2700 3300 2850 3700 3200 3750 3200 3650 3350 3400 3200 3000 3350 2600 3325 2750 2800 2900 2700 2700 2650 [[Judas Iscariot|Judas]]
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</imagemap>
 
''The Last Supper'' portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. The apostles were identified by their names, using an unsigned, mid-sixteenth-century fresco copy of Leonardo's Cenacolo.<ref>{{cite book |last=Steinberg |first=Leo |title=Leonardo's Incessant 'Last Supper' |___location=New York |publisher=Zone Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-890951-18-4 |page=75}}</ref> Before this, only Judas, Peter, John and Jesus had been positively identified. From left to right, according to the apostles' heads:
This restoration took 21 years and on [[May 28]], [[1999]] the painting was put back on display, although intending visitors are required to book ahead and can only stay for 15 minutes. When it was unveiled, considerable controversy was aroused by the dramatic changes in colours, tones, and even some facial shapes. [[James Beck (professor)|James Beck]], [[professor]] of [[art history]] at [[Columbia University]] and founder of [[ArtWatch International]], has been a particularly strong critic.
* [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]], [[James, son of Alphaeus]], and [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] form a group of three; all are surprised.
* [[Judas Iscariot]], [[Saint Peter|Peter]], and [[John the Apostle|John]] form another group of three. Judas is wearing red, blue, and green and is in shadow, looking withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role as a treasurer.<ref name="Gospel">Cfr. {{bibleverse|Matthew|26:15|NKJV}} and {{bibleverse|John|12:6; 13:29|NKJV}}.</ref> He is also tipping over the salt cellar, which may be related to the near-Eastern expression to "betray the salt" meaning to betray one's master. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is also vertically the lowest of anyone in the painting. Peter wears an expression of anger and appears to be holding a knife, foreshadowing his violent reaction in [[Gethsemane]] during the [[arrest of Jesus]]. Peter is leaning towards John and touching him on the shoulder, in reference to John's Gospel where he signals the "beloved disciple" to ask Jesus who is to betray him.{{efn|{{bibleverse|John|13:23–24}}}} The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon and lean towards Peter.
* [[Jesus]]
* [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]], [[James the Greater]], and [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]] are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; the raised index finger foreshadows his [[Doubting Thomas|incredulity]] of the Resurrection. James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation.
* [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]], [[Jude the Apostle|Jude Thaddeus]], and [[Simon the Zealot]] are the final group of three. Both Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.
 
{{multiple image
The painting before the major restoration in 1979 [http://www.initaly.com/regions/artists/lsup.jpg]
| align = right
| caption_align = center
| direction = horizontal
| header_align = center
| header =
| image1 = Leonardo, testa di cristo, 1494 circa, pinacoteca di brera.jpg
| width1 = 150
| alt1 =
| caption1 = A study of the [[Head of Christ (Leonardo)|head of Christ]] by Leonardo
| image2 = Leonardo da vinci, Study for the Last Supper 2.jpg
| width2 = 150
| alt2 =
| caption2 = [[Silverpoint]] study of an apostle, most likely [[Saint Peter]]{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=86}}
}}
 
In common with other depictions of the Last Supper from this period, Leonardo seats the diners on one side of the table, so that none of them has his back to the viewer. The tablecloth is white with blue stripes, which are colours commonly associated with the [[Tekhelet in Judaism|Jewish people]]. This is the painting's only overt reference to the ethnicity of Jesus and his disciples. Most previous depictions excluded Judas by placing him alone on the opposite side of the table from the other eleven disciples and Jesus, or placing halos around all the disciples except Judas.
==The Last Supper in culture==
Leonardo instead has Judas lean back into shadow. Jesus is predicting that his betrayer will take the bread at the same time he does to Thomas and James the Greater to his left, who react in horror as Jesus points with his left hand to a piece of bread before them. Distracted by the conversation between John and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread not noticing Jesus too stretching out with his right hand towards it (Matthew 26: 23). The angles and lighting draw attention to Jesus, whose [[Turning the other cheek|turned right cheek]] is located at the [[vanishing point]] for all perspective lines.<ref name="DLDV">White, Susan D. (2006). ''Draw Like Da Vinci''. London: Cassell Illustrated, p. 132. {{ISBN|978-1844034444}}.</ref> In addition, the painting demonstrated Leonardo's masterful use of perspective as it "draws our attention to the face of Christ at the center of the composition, and Christ's face, through his down-turned gaze, directs our focus along the diagonal of his left arm to his hand and therefore, the bread."<ref name=King2012p187 />
[[Image:Wieliczka-daVinci.jpg|thumb|250px|right|''The Last Supper'' made in salt in [[Wieliczka]] [[salt mine]] ([[Poland]])]]
A fine 16th century oil on canvas copy is conserved in the abbey of [[Westerlo|Tongerlo]], [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]], [[Belgium]]. It reveals many details that are no longer visible on the original. The [[Rome|Roman]] [[mosaic]] artist [[Giacomo Raffaelli]] made another life-sized copy ([[1809]]-[[1814]]) in the [[Vienna|Viennese]] [[Minoritenkirche, Vienna|Minoritenkirche]].
 
Leonardo reportedly used the likenesses of people in and around Milan as inspiration for the painting's figures. The convent's prior complained to Sforza of Leonardo's "laziness" as he wandered the streets to find a criminal to base Judas on. Leonardo responded that if he could find no one else, the prior would make a suitable model.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=81}}
A play has also been written called ''The Living Last Supper'', in which the painting is depicted on stage and the twelve disciples break from the group individually and address the audience.
While the painting was being executed, Leonardo's friend, the mathematician [[Luca Pacioli]], called it "a symbol of man's burning desire for salvation".{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=82}}
 
== History ==
A common legend surrounding the painting is that the same model was used for both Jesus and Judas. The story often goes that the young man, a baker, posed at nineteen for Jesus then much later Leonardo chose him as the model, now either homeless or incarcerated, for Judas not realizing he was the same man. There is no evidence that Leonardo used the same model for both figures and the story usually overestimates the time it took Leonardo to finish the mural. [http://www.daily-blessings.com/lastsupperp.htm][http://www.eeggs.com/items/2350.html][http://www.snopes.com/glurge/lastsupp.htm][http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/l/lastsupper.htm]
 
=== Early copies ===
There is a theory, first publicized in ''[[The Templar Revelation]]'' by [[Lynn Picknett]] and [[Clive Prince]], that the person to the left of Jesus (to ''His'' right) is actually [[Mary Magdalene]], rather than the [[apostle]] [[John the Apostle|John]] (as most [[art history|art historians]] identify it). This theory is central to [[Dan Brown]]'s popular novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''.
Two early copies of ''The Last Supper'' are known to exist, presumed to be work by Leonardo's assistants. The copies are almost the size of the original, and have survived with a wealth of original detail still intact.<ref name="UA">{{cite web |title=Last Supper (copy after Leonardo) |url=http://www.universalleonardo.org/work.php?id=572 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015083809/http://www.universalleonardo.org/work.php?id=572 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=15 October 2006 |publisher=University of the Arts, London |access-date=11 August 2008}}</ref> One, by [[Giampietrino]], is in the collection of the [[Royal Academy of Arts, London|Royal Academy of Arts]], London, and the other, by [[Cesare da Sesto]], is installed at the Church of St. Ambrogio in [[Ponte Capriasca]], Switzerland. A third copy (oil on canvas) is painted by [[Andrea Solari]] (c. 1520) and is on display in the [[Leonardo da Vinci Museum]] of the [[Tongerlo Abbey]], [[Belgium]].
 
<gallery widths="350px" heights="200px">
In the book, it is said that John/Mary Magdalene has a womanly bosom, feminine facial features, and is swaying gracefully toward Peter. Peter appears to be making a threatening gesture across Mary's throat. The author uses this theory to advance his view that Leonardo da Vinci was once the head of a secret society, the [[Priory of Sion]], which protects the secret of Jesus' royal bloodline, and where his descendants live today.
File:Stiudium do Ostatniej Wieczerzy.jpg|A study for ''The Last Supper''{{efn|The lower-right section continues the upper composition at left.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=86}}}} from Leonardo's notebooks<ref name="notebooks">{{cite book |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5000 |title=The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci – Complete |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date=1 January 2004 |access-date=14 February 2012}}</ref> shows twelve apostles, nine of which are identified by names written above their heads. Judas sits on the opposite side of the table, as in earlier depictions of the scene.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=86}}
File:Giampietrino-Last-Supper-ca-1520.jpg|''The Last Supper'', c. 1520, by [[Giampietrino]], oil on canvas, in the collection of the [[Royal Academy of Arts, London|Royal Academy of Arts]], London.{{efn|The painting hung in the chapel of [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], from 1992.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chapel with return Renaissance painrefting |newspaper=[[Oxford Times]] |date=14 September 2017 |page=19}}</ref>}} This full-scale copy was the main source for the 1978–1998 restoration of the original. It includes several lost details such as Christ's feet and the salt cellar spilled by Judas. Giampietrino is thought to have worked closely with Leonardo when he was in [[Milan]].
Critics of this theory point out that:
File:Leonardo da Vinci - Last Supper (copy) - WGA12732.jpg|''The Last Supper'', c. 1520, [[Andrea Solari]], oil on canvas, in the [[Leonardo da Vinci Museum]], [[Tongerlo Abbey]]
</gallery>
 
=== Damage and restorations ===
* While damage makes it impossible to be sure of the figure's [[gender]], it appears to be wearing [[male]] clothing[http://www.artchive.com/artchive/L/leonardo/leonardo_baptist.jpg.html].
{{Main|Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper}}
Because Sforza had ordered the church to be rebuilt hastily, the masons filled the walls with moisture-retaining rubble.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}} The painting was done on a thin exterior wall, so the effects of [[humidity]] were felt keenly, and the paint failed to properly adhere to it. Because of the method used, soon after the painting was completed on 9 February 1498 it began to deteriorate.<ref name=smart /> In 1499, [[Louis XII]] contemplated removing the painting from the wall and taking it to France.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=127}} As early as 1517, the painting was starting to flake, and in 1532 [[Gerolamo Cardano]] described it as "blurred and colorless compared with what I remember of it when I saw it as a boy".<ref>{{cite book |title=Doctor Cardano, physician extraordinary |first=Alan |last=Wykes |page=26 |year=1969}}</ref> By 1556 – fewer than sixty years after it was finished – [[Giorgio Vasari]] described the painting as reduced to a "muddle of blots" so deteriorated that the figures were unrecognizable.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}} By the second half of the 16th century, Gian Paolo Lomazzo stated that "the painting is all ruined".<ref name=smart /> In 1652, a doorway was cut through the (then unrecognisable) painting, and later bricked up; this can still be seen as the irregular [[arch]]-shaped structure near the center base of the painting. It is believed, through early copies, that Jesus' feet were in a position symbolizing the forthcoming crucifixion. In 1768, a curtain was hung over the painting intended for its protection; the curtain instead trapped moisture on the surface, and whenever it was pulled back, it scratched the flaking paint.
 
A first restoration was attempted in 1726 by [[Michelangelo Bellotti]], who filled in missing sections with [[oil paint]] then [[varnish]]ed the whole mural. This repair did not last well and another restoration was attempted in 1770 by an otherwise unknown artist named Giuseppe Mazza. Mazza stripped off Bellotti's work then largely repainted the painting; he had redone all but three faces when he was halted due to public outrage. In 1796, French revolutionary anti-clerical troops used the refectory as an [[armory (military)|armory]] and [[stable]];<ref name=notebook>{{cite book |last=Da Vinci |first=Leonardo |editor-last=Taylor |editor-first=Pamela |title=The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci |publisher=New American Library |year=1971 |page=xvii}}</ref> they threw stones at the painting and climbed ladders to scratch out the Apostles' eyes. [[Goethe]] wrote that in 1800, the room was flooded with two feet of water after a heavy rainstorm.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}} The refectory was used as a prison;{{when|date=October 2019}} it is not known if any of the prisoners may have damaged the painting. In 1821, Stefano Barezzi, an expert in removing whole frescoes from their walls intact, was called in to remove the painting to a safer ___location; he badly damaged the center section before realizing that Leonardo's work was not a fresco. Barezzi then attempted to reattach damaged sections with [[adhesive|glue]]. From 1901 to 1908, [[Luigi Cavenaghi]] first completed a careful study of the structure of the painting, then began cleaning it. In 1924, [[Oreste Silvestri]] did further cleaning, and stabilised some parts with [[stucco]].
* There are only thirteen figures in the painting, so if one is Mary Magdalene, an apostle is missing. Some have suggested that on the front of the figure of [[Simon Peter]] there is one hand with a dagger which is associated to nobody in the picture, but in clearer reproductions [http://www.cenacolovinciano.it/html/images/ultima_cena2.jpg] this is seen to be Peter's right hand, resting against his hip with the palm turned outward; the knife points towards Bartholomew (far left) who was to be executed by being flayed. It may also indicate Peter's impulsive nature, as he cuts off a soldier's ear in John 18:10.
 
[[File:Last supper right wall.jpg|thumb|upright|A protective structure (right) was built in front of Leonardo's fresco. This photo shows the bombing damage in 1943.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=74}}]]
* Some of the painting's [[Cartoon|cartoons]] (preliminary sketches) are preserved, and none show female faces.
 
During [[World War II]], on 15 August 1943, the refectory was struck by Allied bombing; protective [[sandbag]]ging prevented the painting from being struck by bomb splinters,<ref>{{cite web |last=Traverso |first=V. M. |title=How 'The Last Supper' miraculously survived World War II bombs |url=https://aleteia.org/2019/06/05/how-the-last-supper-miraculously-survived-world-war-ii-bombs/ |website=Aleteia – Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture |access-date=7 June 2019 |date=5 June 2019}}</ref> but it may have been damaged by the [[oscillation|vibration]]. Between 1946 and 1954, [[:it:Mauro Pellicioli|Mauro Pellicioli]] undertook a clean-and-stabilise restoration,{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}} which [[Brera (district of Milan)|Brera]] director {{ill|Fernanda Wittgens|it}} was involved in<!-- in 1950 -->.<ref name=notebook /> Pellicioli reattached paint to the wall using a clear shellac, making it relatively darker and more colorful, and removed some of the [[overpainting]].{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=93}} However, as of 1972, the repainting done in various restorations had made the heads of saints Peter, Andrew, and James differ significantly from the original design.{{sfn|Wallace|1972|p=83}}
* [[image:Castagnodetail.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Castagno's version of ''The Last Supper'', depicting St. John sleeping]]Other paintings from that period ([[Andrea del Castagno|Castagno]]’s 1447 and [[Ghirlandaio]]’s 1480) also show John to be a very boyish or feminine looking figure with long fair hair. This was because John was supposed to have been the youngest and most unquestioningly devoted of the apostles. Hence he is often shown asleep against Jesus's shoulder. John, painted as the usual effeminate da Vinci youth, is comparable to Leonardo da Vinci's [[St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)|''St. John the Baptist'']].
 
==== Major restoration ====
* It has been suggested that there is no cup in the painting, yet Jesus's left hand is pointing to the [[Eucharist]] and his right to a glass of wine. This is not the glorified chalice of legend as Leonardo insisted on realistic paintings. He often criticised [[Michelangelo]] for painting muscular, superhuman figures in the [[Sistine Chapel]].
[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - Ultima cena - ca 1975.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|The painting as it looked in the 1970s]]
 
The painting's appearance by the late 1970s had badly deteriorated. From 1978 to 1999, Pinin Brambilla Barcilon guided a major restoration project to stabilize the painting and reverse the damage caused by dirt and pollution. The eighteenth- and nineteenth-century restoration attempts were also reversed. Since it had proved impractical to move the painting to a more controlled environment, the refectory was instead converted to a sealed, [[HVAC|climate-controlled]] environment, which meant bricking up the windows. Then, detailed study was undertaken to determine the painting's original form, using scientific tests (especially [[infrared]] reflectoscopy and microscopic core-samples), and original [[cartoon#Fine art|cartoons]] preserved in the Royal Library at [[Windsor Castle]]. Some areas were deemed unrestorable. These were {{nowrap|re-painted}} using [[watercolor painting|watercolor]] in subdued colors intended to indicate they were not original work, while not being too distracting.<ref>{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Ross |title=Leonardo and the Last Supper |isbn=978-0-8027-1705-4 |date=2012 |publisher=Bloomsbury |___location=New York |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/leonardolastsupp0000king}}</ref>
* It is claimed that if one looks above the figure of Bartholemew, a Grail-like image appears above him.[http://davincigrail.com/] Whether Leonardo meant this to be a representation of the [[Holy Grail]] cannot be known, since as pointed out earlier there is a glass on the table within Christ's reach. The "Grail image" has become noticed probably because it only appears when viewing the painting from a distance (as most people do today in small scale reproductions). Zooming in on the painting reveals a cluster of geometrical shapes, possibly intended to represent marble wall decoration. They only appear to form a golden chalice when parts are deliberately occluded. Whether or not this was intentional on the part of the artist is an open question.
The painting has been [[parodied]] in several [[film]]s, the most notable being perhaps [[Luis Buñuel]]'s ''[[Viridiana]]'' (1961). [[Robert Altman]]'s dark comedy ''[[M*A*S*H (film)|M*A*S*H]]'' (1970) includes a sub-plot about the camp dentist, the high point of which recreates Leonardo's tableau. The [[1973]] film version of ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' has the 12 apostles and Jesus pause at one point in the music and freeze into the tableau positions. The [[1981]] [[Mel Brooks]] film ''[[History of the World, Part I]]'' features Brooks as a waiter at the last supper who poses in the background as a Leonardo character is painting their portrait. In [[2004]] a Christmas edition of the British TV show ''[[Shameless]]'' caused controversy by portraying the disfunctional family at the centre of the show in a copy of the composition, with the alcoholic father played by [[David Threlfall]] as Jesus.
 
This restoration took 21 years and, on 28 May 1999, the painting was returned to display. Intending visitors were required to book ahead and could only stay for 15 minutes. When it was unveiled, considerable controversy was aroused by the dramatic changes in colors, tones, and even some facial shapes. [[James Beck (art historian)|James Beck]], professor of [[art history]] at [[Columbia University]] and founder of [[ArtWatch International]], had been a particularly strong critic.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |title=The Last Supper or a dog's dinner? |author=Phillip William |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/1999/may/25/artsfeatures3 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=24 May 1999 |access-date=21 December 2012}}</ref> Michael Daley, director of ArtWatch UK, has also complained about the restored version of the painting. He has been critical of Christ's right arm in the image which has been altered from a draped sleeve to what Daley calls "muff-like drapery".<ref name="alberge">{{cite news |title=Have art restorers ruined Leonardo's masterpiece? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/have-art-restorers-ruined-leonardos-masterpiece-7565727.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/have-art-restorers-ruined-leonardos-masterpiece-7565727.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Independent]] |date=14 March 2012 |last=Alberge |first=Dayla |access-date=21 December 2012}}</ref>
The painting has also been many times imitated and parodied in art and photography. Mary Beth Edelson's "Some Living American Women Artists/Last Supper" (1971) reproduced the composition with [[Georgia O'Keeffe]] in the central position. Likewise, ''[[Yo Mama's Last Supper]]'', a controversial work of art by [[Renée Cox]], was a montage of five photographs of 12 black men and a naked black woman (the artist's self portrait) posed in imitation of Leonardo's painting. Cox is pictured naked and standing, with her arms reaching upwards, as Jesus. The piece is exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and received acclaim and criticism in heavy measure, the latter notably by former mayor of New York City, [[Rudy Giuliani]].
 
== In culture ==
In 2005, an advert for French fashion house Marithé François Girbaud based on Leonardo's painting sparked controversy in Italy. Jesus and the apostles were cast as fashionably dressed females, the only male in the picture being a bare-chested young man sitting on one of the models' lap. The ad was pulled after protests by Italian Catholics.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4236499.stm</ref>
''The Last Supper'' has frequently been referenced, reproduced, or parodied in Western culture. Some of the more notable examples are:
 
=== Non-modern painting, mosaic, and photography ===
In the movie ''[[Paradise Now]]'', just before Said and Khaled leave for their "mission", they sit down to enjoy a "last supper". Said, Khaled and 10 other recruits sit facing the camera, similar to Leonardo's last supper. There are only 12 people in the scene though, with no one exactly in the centre (where Jesus would be), possibly to avoid offending both Christians and Muslims, who see Jesus as a prophet of Allah, and portrayal of any of Islam's prophets is forbidden.
[[File:Wieliczka-daVinci.jpg|thumb|''The Last Supper'' made in salt in [[Wieliczka Salt Mine]] (Poland)]]
[[File:Adi Ness, Last Supper.jpg|thumb|''The Last Supper'' by [[Adi Nes]] (Israel) was sold for $264,000 in 2007.]]
 
A 16th-century oil on canvas copy is conserved in the [[abbey of Tongerlo]], [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]], [[Belgium]]. It reveals many details that are no longer visible on the original.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://focusonbelgium.be/en/culture/tongerlo-abbey-houses-remarkable-treasure |title=Tongerlo Abbey Houses A Remarkable Treasure |date=10 May 2019 |publisher=Public Diplomacy Service of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref> The [[Rome|Roman]] [[mosaic]] artist [[Giacomo Raffaelli (artist)|Giacomo Raffaelli]] made another life-sized copy (1809–1814), commissioned by [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], that resides in the [[Minoritenkirche (Vienna)|Minoritenkirche]] in [[Vienna]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g190454-d319339-r178769580-Minoritenkirche-Vienna.html |title=Where you can see Napoleon's copy of Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' |publisher=TripAdvisor LLC |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref>
In the [[2006]] artbook ''Football Heroes'', English cartoonist Beach depicts the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 Brazilian World Cup football team]] in the daVinci tableau, with [[Pelé]] as the Jesus figure. <ref>[http://www.footballheroes.org/weltmeisterschaft/footballheroes_098.htm]</ref>
 
=== Modern art ===
In [[1988]], modern artist [[Vik Muniz]] famously displayed a recreation of The Last Supper, made entirely out of [[Bosco Chocolate Syrup]].<ref>''[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406EED61639F936A1575AC0A96E958260# It's a Leonardo? It's a Corot? Well, No, It's Chocolate Syrup, New York Times, 1998]</ref>
In 1955, [[Salvador Dalí]] painted ''[[The Sacrament of the Last Supper]]'', with Jesus portrayed as blond and clean shaven, pointing upward to a spectral torso while the apostles are gathered around the table heads bowed so that none may be identified. It is reputed to be one of the most viewed paintings in the collection of the [[National Gallery of Art]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]
 
[[Mary Beth Edelson]]'s ''Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper'' (1972) appropriated ''The Last Supper'', with the heads of notable women artists collaged over the heads of Christ and his apostles. The artists collaged over the heads of Christ and his apostles in ''Some Living American Women Artists / Last Supper'' include [[Lynda Benglis]], [[Louise Bourgeois]], [[Elaine de Kooning]], [[Helen Frankenthaler]], [[Nancy Graves]], [[Lila Katzen]], [[Lee Krasner]], [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], [[Louise Nevelson]], [[Yoko Ono]], [[M. C. Richards]], [[Alma Thomas]], and [[June Wayne]].<ref name="Frost Art Museum" /> As well, other women artists have their image shown in the border of the piece; in all eighty-two women artists are part of the whole image.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141 |title=Mary Beth Edelson. Some Living American Women Artists. 1972 |publisher=MoMA |access-date=4 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="Levin2018">{{cite book |first=Gail |last=Levin |title=Becoming Judy Chicago: A Biography of the Artist |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXdxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA209 |year=2018 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-30006-4 |pages=209ff}}</ref> This image, addressing the role of religious and art historical iconography in the subordination of women, became "one of the most iconic images of the [[feminist art movement]]".<ref name="Frost Art Museum">{{cite web |url=http://drawingproject.frostartmuseum.org/mary-beth-edelson/ |title=Mary Beth Edelson |work=The Frost Art Museum Drawing Project |access-date=11 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="Clara – Edelson">{{cite web |url=http://clara.nmwa.org/index.php?g=entity_detail&entity_id=1321 |title=Mary Beth Adelson |work=Clara – Database of Women Artists |publisher=National Museum of Women in the Arts |___location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=10 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110213429/http://clara.nmwa.org/index.php?g=entity_detail&entity_id=1321 |archive-date=10 January 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
In the [[1992]] episode ''[[Artless (TMNT 1987 episode)|Artless]]'' of the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon]], Two art-collecting aliens are stealing great works of art all over [[Italy]], among them "The Last Supper".
 
Sculptor [[Marisol Escobar]] rendered ''The Last Supper'' as a life-sized, three-dimensional, sculptural assemblage using painted and drawn wood, plywood, brownstone, plaster, and aluminum. This work, ''Self-Portrait Looking at The Last Supper'' (1982–1984), is in New York's [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]].<ref name="marisol">{{cite web |title=Self-Portrait Looking at The Last Supper |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/484650 |access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref>
In the [[1998]] episode "Streaking" of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] series [[That '70s Show]], the principal cast members assemble into the poses of the subjects of The Last Supper as they discuss streaking at a campaign rally for [[President]] [[Gerald Ford]].
 
Art dealer [[Alexander Iolas]] commissioned [[Andy Warhol]] to produce [[The Last Supper (Warhol)|a series of paintings based on ''The Last Supper'']], first exhibited in Milan in January 1987. The series would be the artist's last before his death.<ref name="warhol">{{cite web |last=Haden-Guest |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Haden-Guest |url=http://www.artnet.com/magazine_pre2000/features/haden-guest/haden-guest8-3-99.asp |title=Warhol's Last Supper |website=[[Artnet]] |date=3 August 1999 |access-date=12 March 2010}}</ref>
In episode 13 of the anime [[GetBackers]], [[Akabane Kurodou]] explained the meaning of the painting to [[Ginji Amano]] when they saw the painting hanging on a wall inside Babylon City.
 
=== Literature ===
The cover for comedian [[George Carlin]]'s [[2004]] book ''[[When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?]]'' parodies Da Vinci's The Last Supper with Carlin replacing Jesus at the table.
In her 1834 [[ekphrasis|ekphrasic]] poem, "The Last Supper",<ref>{{cite wikisource|wslink=Poems Sigourney 1834/The Last Supper|title=The Last Supper|first=Lydia |last=Sigourney |year=1834}}</ref> [[Lydia Sigourney]] focuses on Christ's betrayer, repeatedly asks "Is it I?" and closes with the prayer that our feet be so guided:
 
{{poemquote|That our ''Last Supper'' in this world may lead to
At the end of the episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer goes to heaven, the episode ends with thirteen people at Moe's Tavern. They free for a few seconds, and their positions are in obvious parody of Leonardo's painting.
That immortal banquet by thy side,
Where there is no betrayer.}}
 
Author [[Mary Shelley]] describes her impression of the painting in her travel narrative, ''[[Rambles in Germany and Italy]]'', published 1844:
In [[2003]], when pop star [[Michael Jackson]]'s [[Neverland Ranch]] was raided in a search for evidence regarding child molestation charges, a cover of ''The Last Supper'' was found. A photograph of this piece of art was taken and it depicts a similar scene as in the original work, except this one has Jackson posing as [[Jesus]]. The piece of art hangs above Jackson's bed in his private quarters.
 
{{Blockquote|First we visited the fading inimitable fresco of Leonardo da Vinci. How vain are copies! not in one, nor in any print, did i ever see the slightest approach to the expression in our Savior's face, such as it is in the original. Majesty and love – these are the words that would describe it – joined to an absence of all guile that expresses the divine nature more visibly than I ever saw it in any other picture.<ref name="shelley">{{cite book |last=Shelley |first=Mary |url=https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Rambles_in_Germany_and_Italy_in_1840,_1842,_and_1843/Part_1/Letter_10 |chapter=Letter X. Voyage to Lecco.—Bergamo.—The Opera of 'Mosè.'—Milan. Bergamo, 10th Sept. [1840]|title=Rambles in Germany and Italy, in 1840, 1842, and 1843 |volume=1 |___location=London |publisher=Edward Moxon |year=1844 |pages=109–110 |via=Wikisource}}</ref>|sign=[[Mary Shelley]] | source=''Rambles in Germany and Italy'' (1844), pp. 109–110|title=}}
 
== Other speculation ==
[[File:Juan en La Última Cena, de Leonardo da Vinci.jpg|thumb|Detail of the "beloved disciple" to Jesus's right, identified by art historians as the apostle John,<ref name=King2012p187 /><ref name="HodappKannon2007" /> but speculated in the 2003 book ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' and similar works to be [[Mary Magdalene]]<ref name=King2012p187 /><ref name="HodappKannon2007" />]]
 
''The Last Supper'' has been the target of much speculation by writers and [[historical revision]]ists alike, usually centered on purported hidden messages or hints found within the painting, especially since the publication of [[Dan Brown]]'s novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' (2003), in which one of the characters suggests that the person to Jesus' right (left of Jesus from the viewer's perspective) is actually [[Mary Magdalene]].<ref name=King2012p187>{{cite book |last=King |first=Ross |date=2012 |title=Leonardo and the Last Supper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pE_CAwAAQBAJ&q=Mary+Magdalene |___location=New York and London |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-0-7475-9947-0 |pages=187–189}}</ref><ref name="HodappKannon2007">Christopher Hodapp, Alice Von Kannon, ''The Templar Code For Dummies'', p. 257 (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-470-12765-0}}).</ref> It also states that there was a letter 'glaring in the center of the painting' (M) standing for Matrimonio or Mary Magdalene. This speculation originated in earlier books ''[[The Templar Revelation]]'' (1997) by [[Lynn Picknett]] and ''[[The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail]]'' by [[Michael Baigent]], [[Henry Lincoln]] and [[Richard Leigh (author)|Richard Leigh]] (1982).<ref name="HodappKannon2007" /> Art historians hold that the figure is the Apostle John,<ref name=King2012p187 /><ref name="HodappKannon2007" /> who appears androgynous in line with Leonardo's characteristic fascination with blurring the lines between the sexes, a quality which is found in his other paintings, such as ''[[St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)|St. John the Baptist]]'' (painted {{circa}} 1513–1516).<ref name=King2012p187 /><ref name="HodappKannon2007" /> [[Christopher L. Hodapp]] and Alice Von Kannon comment, "If he [John] looks effeminate and needs a haircut, so does James, the second figure on the left."<ref name="HodappKannon2007" /> According to Ross King, an expert on Italian art, Mary Magdalene's appearance at the last supper would not have been controversial and Leonardo would have had no motive to disguise her as one of the other disciples,<ref name=King2012p187 /> since she was widely venerated in her role as the "Apostle to the Apostles" and was the patron of the [[Dominican Order]], for whom ''The Last Supper'' was painted.<ref name=King2012p187 /> There would have even been precedent for it, since the earlier Italian Renaissance painter [[Fra Angelico]] had included her in his painting of the Last Supper.<ref name=King2012p187 />
 
The painting contains several possible numerical references, including to the number three. The Apostles are seated in groups of three, there are three windows behind Jesus, and the shape of Jesus' figure resembles a triangle. His hands are located at the [[golden ratio]] of half the height of the composition.<ref name="DLDV" /> The painting can also be interpreted using the [[Fibonacci series]]: one table, one central figure, two side walls, three windows and figures grouped in threes, five groups of figures, eight panels on the walls and eight table legs, and thirteen individual figures.<ref name="DLDV" /> Debates among art historians still surround the use of the Fibonacci series as some argue that its purposeful use did not fully begin to be applied to architecture until the early 19th century.<ref name=King2012p187 />
 
== See also ==
* [[List of works by Leonardo da Vinci]]
* [[Twelve Apostles in art]]
 
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
 
== References ==
<references />
{{Reflist}}
 
== External linksBibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Wallace |first=Robert |title=The World of Leonardo: 1452–1519 |publisher=Time-Life Books |___location=New York |year=1972 |orig-year=1966 |isbn=978-0316509206}}
* [http://altreligion.about.com/library/texts/bl_differentdvc.htm A Different Da Vinci Code] The missing pieces of Leonardo's puzzle point to plain and simple Hermeticism (altreligion.about.com article).
* [http://www.cenacolovinciano.it/html/eng/home.htm Official Milanese "The Last Supper" site (English version)]
* [http://milano.arounder.com/da_vinci_last_supper/fullscreen.html The Last Supper] High Resolution Zoomable image
* [http://arthistory.about.com/cs/leonardo/a/last_supper.htm Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper]
* [http://home.arcor.de/berzelmayr/st-john.html John the Apostle in Art]
* [http://arthistory.about.com/cs/last_supper/f/john_v_mary.htm Is that John or Mary Magdalene in the Last Supper?]
* [http://kaleb222.uw.hu/LASTSUPPER_ENHANCED.jpg HIGH RESOLUTION cropping of The Last Supper (External link)]
 
== Further reading ==
[[Category:Artistic portrayals of Jesus|Last Supper (Leonardo), The]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120525104253/http://www.3pipe.net/2012/05/leo-steinberg-and-incessant-last-supper.html Detailed review of Steinberg's 'Incessant Last Supper' at 3 Pipe Problem]
[[Category:Leonardo da Vinci paintings|Last Supper]]
* {{cite magazine |title=Restoration Reveals the Last Supper |magazine=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]] |first=Carlo |last=Bertelli |pages=664–684 |volume=164 |issue=5 |date=November 1983 |issn=0027-9358 |oclc=643483454}}
[[Category:Roman Catholic Church art|Last Supper (Leonardo), The]]
* [[Ludwig Heinrich Heydenreich|Heydenreich, Ludwig H.]] (1974). ''Leonardo: The Last Supper''. New York: The Viking Press, Inc.
[[Category:Fresco paintings|Last Supper (Leonardo), The]]
 
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci}}
* {{official website|http://legraziemilano.it/il-cenacolo/}}
* [https://www.academia.edu/8578412/_Eng_Leonardos_Last_Supper_and_the_three_layers Leonardo's ''Last Supper'' and the three layers]
* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/84801/rec/2 ''Leonardo da Vinci: anatomical drawings from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle''], exhibition catalog fully online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on ''The Last Supper'' (see index)
{{Leonardo da Vinci}}
{{Last Supper in art}}
{{High Renaissance}}
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[[Category:Paintings of Judas Iscariot]]
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[[Category:Paintings of Saint Peter]]
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[[Category:Paintings of the Last Supper|Leonardo]]
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[[Category:Tourist attractions in Milan]]
[[it:L'ultima cena (Leonardo)]]
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[[nl:Het Laatste Avondmaal (Leonardo da Vinci)]]
[[ja:最後の晩餐 (レオナルド)]]
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[[zh:最后的晚餐]]
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