This is the next video in the Florence Art Tour, and in this video we'll focus on the Last Supper
paintings you can see in Florence. Many people want to see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.
It's an incredibly important painting. It really revolutionized representations
of the scene with its drama in terms of expression and gesture, its use of perspective,
the composition of the scene -- where figures are organized into four groups of three -- and
the placement of Judas, the one who would betray Christ, on the same side of the table as Christ.
The Last Supper by Leonardo was also painted using an experimental technique --
not in the traditional one fresco technique where the painting really becomes part of the wall;
this led to its deteriorating state today. A door was also cut underneath the painting and
it really barely survived World War II. And so for the purpose of this video, however, it's important
to note that it's not in Florence. Leonardo's Last Supper is in Milan at Santa Maria delle Grazie and
does require a reservation to visit -- and it can be a little challenging to get that reservation.
The reason I'm discussing Leonardo's Last Supper is some individuals aren't aware that they can see
Last Supper paintings in Florence that were painted before Leonardo's version and may
have even influenced Leonardo as he was born near Florence and worked in Florence before
leaving for Milan. There are also versions painted around the same time and then later
versions that show the influence of Leonardo's composition. We'll even see a version of the Last
Supper by a female artist in this video. So starting off -- what is the Last Supper? It's a
scene that shows the last mea -- a passover meal -- of Christ and his followers before his crucifixion.
It's a time when Jesus will announce that one of his followers will betray him;
this of course is Judas. The reaction to this moment is when he makes -- is what makes
Leonardo's painting especially memorable with its psychological drama. The meal also establishes the
taking of the bread and the wine in the Christian liturgy -- which is interpreted as the body and
blood of Christ. Whether this is interpreted as transubstantiation, as in the Catholic church, or
more symbolic representation as in other Christian denominations, this issue has been the subject of
much theological debate but this video is not really about those theological issues at play
as much as the artistic interpretations; that's really what I'll be focusing on.
So starting off, we'll look at Taddeo Gaddi at Santo Croce -- the main Franciscan church of Florence.
This is from circa 15 -- from 1350, but the date is subject to some debate on stylistic grounds.
Taddeo Gaddi was a student of Giotto and it really has this combination of scenes
in this particular version. It reminds us that these scenes
were were frequently commissioned to decorate refectories -- the spaces where monks would eat. The
typical decorative composition includes a Crucifixion and Last Supper which Taddeo
Gaddi's version cleverly combines through the Crucifixion becoming part of the Tree of Life,
surrounded by stories of Saint Francis, Louis of Toulouse, and Jesus dining with the Pharisees.
Below we see the Last Supper. Because we are in the early renaissance, the halos are highly visible
and tend to be built up from the background to create dimension.
Gaddi's teacher Giotto did this as well, and you can see this in his work at the Arena Chapel in Padua.
The figures are also weighty and modeled to create dimension and present engaging
expressions as would have been typical for Giotto's work -- so Gaddi's teacher. The figures are spaced out
rather far and the beloved Apostle John rests on Christ's right and then Judas, the traitor,
is clearly marked through his lack of halo and his placement on the other side of the table.
Luckily, this work survived the 1966 flood in Florence, which affected so many cultural sites,
but especially at Santa Croce due to its proximity to the Arno river.
Our next example is by Andrea Orcagna, who famously worked around the time of the plague and
responded with what appears to be more restraint than the more revolutionary artists like Giotto.
And he created a Crucifixion and Last Supper around 1360 -- 1365 in the refectory of Santo Spirito.
The refectory is an older 14th century structure -- compared to the 15th century design
by Brunelleschi for the main church. The Last Supper is barely visible due to damage, so I'll
discuss it only briefly, but it shows a similarly spaced out dining table with a crucifixion above
and shows some interesting connection to today Gaddi's 14th century example in Santo Croce.
Our next example is by Andrea del Castagno dating to around 1445 1450 created for the refectory of the
convent of Sant'Apollonia now called the Museo di Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia. The painting dated to
the mid 15th-century appears to have been little known, and it was not discussed by the 16th century
art historian Giorgio Vasari who was based in Florence and generally had a good understanding of
the masterpieces in his city. The fresco is in very good condition and was apparently hidden beneath
plaster for many centuries. The frescoes by Castagno above the Last Supper representing the Crucifixion.
Burial, and Resurrection of Christ are in much worse shape and so show much more evidence of
deterioration. Castagno's Last Supper is not too frequently visited, so you can really enjoy it
on your own. I remember going with my art history professor when i was in Florence as an undergrad --
graduate for a renaissance art class, and it was really just our class visiting the space
as it some distance from the center of Florence -- about 10 minutes from the duomo
and a good 15 to 20 minute walk from places like the Uffizi and Santa Croce. In terms of style,
Castagno shows us an impressive scene with apostles in different stages of contemplation and dialogue --
some gaze up at the checked ceiling while others gesticulate and appear to exchange ideas.
The lifted head shows Castagno's ability in foreshortening and many of the apostles
exhibit unique portrait-like features with wrinkles, varied expressions, and differing
hair and beard styles. Castagno shows himself as well-versed in ancient artistic traditions
as some of the apostles with their features and dress are reminiscent of ancient Roman portraits.
Castagno has also incorporated griffins on either side of the table -- a common classical
decorative motif. He also shows a knowledge of a type of ancient Roman wall decoration
with large blocks of color behind Christ and the apostles. The rich blocks of color either intended
to represent actual marble revetment that Castagno may have seen in late antique churches in Italy
or in the repurposed temples similar to the Pantheon. The painted squares could
also represent a kind of illusory painting style used in ancient roman houses to imitate expensive
cut stone. This is often called the "first style" wall painting in places like Pompeii. In any case,
Castagno's representations of these panels form a rich and engaging background to consider the scene.
The panel behind Christ is especially lively and is likely intended to draw the viewers attention
to the key scene of Christ, John, Peter and Judas. Judas, of course, resides on the other side of the
table and has no halo and is given a darker hair color as was common at this time. Castagno's mastery
of perspective is shown throughout the scene from the checkerboard ceiling to the sunken floor,
the benches along the side and its rich decorative cloth the table contains sparse evidence of a meal,
but there are some elegant representations of glass vessels marked with thin strokes of white paint.
The overall scene is almost like a little jewel box bursting with color and pattern
and capped with its appearance of a terracotta roof. It's best to enjoy the scene in the quiet
of the room and just appreciate that this version survives with its colors in really good condition.
Okay -- now we're getting closer to the style of Leonardo's version, so we will now consider two
versions by Domenico Ghirlandaio -- one is in the convent of the Ognissanti on the west side of
the historic center of Florence, very close to the Arno [River] and another from the convent of San Marco. The
earlier Ognissanti version dates to about 1480 and the San Marco version dates to 1486. In both cases,
the composition is similar to Castagno's with the apostles arranged around a similarly shaped table
to add more dimension to the scene. John the apostle and Peter continue to
sit closely with Christ, and Judas has again been assigned the other side of the table.
In the case of Ghirlandaio, however, the color palette is more muted. The apostles appear
closer to one another and thus more engaged with each other. The seats now appear like wooden church
stalls with decorative scrollwork instead of griffins. The table is punctuated with banqueting
ware on either side in the form of pictures on the left and a platter on the right, reminding us of
the chalice and paten that is used -- that are used during the liturgy. The most striking feature is
the open-air design of the scene with the curved arches that echo the actual vaulting of the room
in the Ognissanti. Birds and fruit trees and palms function symbolically but also try to transport
the viewer to Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion. The peacock was believed not to decay
at death, and so it symbolically became linked with the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ.
The hawk pursuing the duck symbolizes the struggle of good and evil. Starlings refer to self-sacrifice.
The palms and cypress trees specifically are also linked to martyrdom and death.
The table includes delicate glassware a tablecloth showing the shadows of the folds
and small red cherries that are reminiscent of the blood of Christ. The Sinopia for the Ognissanti
version was discovered during the restoration following the 1966 flood and provided
greater insight into Ghirlandaio's preparations and changes he made along the way next. As we move to
the -- or past the high renaissance and see the impact of Leonardo's Last Supper from the 1490s
as well as the influence of Michelangelo's vivid contributions to paintings through his Sistine
ceiling commission. We can examine Andrea del Sarto's version of the Last Supper in San Salvi,
which is about 25 minutes from Santa Croce. It was created between about 1519 and the mid-1520s
and the painting seems to have thankfully escaped destruction during the long siege of Florence
from the fall of 1529 to the summer of 1530 when the suburbs were really decimated in Florence.
Vasari recounts how soldiers couldn't bear to destroy it due to its beauty. Andrea del Sarto
was a leading painter in Florence during the time of mannerism or the late renaissance --whichever you
prefer. Following the end of the high renaissance, which is usually given the date of 1520,
Andrea del Sarto was the son of a tailor and his work shows a particular sensitivity to fabrics,
which appear to be iridescent materials and luminous silks.
We're reminded that Florence was a great center for the production of cloth. Andrea del Sarto
shows us the muscular quality of the bodies that developed as a result of Michelangelo's painting
and his sculpting styles. Numerous drawings were produced for this commission to determine the
placement of the hands and feet and to imbue the scene with an energy that could rival Leonardo da
Vinci's version in Milan. In this case, Sndrea del Sarto has selected the moment when Christ passes
the bread to Judas -- identifying him as the traitor. Judas is on the same side of the table as Christ
which, before leonardo's painting, was unusual so Andrea del Sarto at least has incorporated
that key "Leonardesque" change. On Christ's other side, his hand touches that of the apostle John.
Del Sarto has created a scene using the vivid, often described as jarring, colors
of the mannerist period. The apostles wear reds and oranges, greens and icy blues. They're framed
within a purplish freeze -- perhaps in imitation of porphyry. The upper portion of the painting
opens up to the sky in imitation of Ghirlandaio's version that Andrea del Sarto surely must have seen.
In this case, dining attendants in similar postures and facing in different directions
replaced the symbolic plants and birds that Ghirlandaio had favored. Moving on to the period of the
late renaissance and returning to the Franciscan church of Santo Croce, we can see the Last Supper
by Giorgio Vasari. Because it's near the river, the painting also suffered damage during that
1966 flood. It has been recently restored and now has a system of pulleys to lift the painting if a
flood is imminent. The painting was originally commissioned for the refectory of Le Murate,
a convent of nuns that was located nearby. When the convent was closed, the painting eventually entered
the Santa Croce collection. Vasari's version dating to around 1546 -- 1547 shows an interesting
combination of influences from Leonardo and Andrea del Sarto as well as Vasari's own ideas.
The darker, spotlight effect and the energy and drama are reminiscent of Leonardo's
work in Milan, but the focus on feet and hands, the open windows above with the attendants and the
vivid colors, muscular bodies remind us very much of Andrea del Sarto's version. Vasari concentrates
his scene, however, in order to build the intensity. Judas is in his more traditional other side of the
table position, but Vasari used a round table to make the positioning look more natural.
The overall scene with its curving balconies appears to be set in a round ancient temple. The
bodies are also larger -- seemingly bursting through the edges of the canvas. The interest in the table
and banqueting ware with the pitchers and wine cooler on the ground also invite increasing
engagement with the viewer and again refer to the instruments of the Eucharist and the liturgy.
Alright, our final stop on this Florence Last Supper tour is, of course, Plautilla Nelli's recently
restored Last Supper now on display in Santa Maria Novella, the Dominican church located
next to Florence's main train station. Plautilla Nelli most notably was a woman artist and she
was self-taught and appears to have sold rather well in Florence and undertook the commission
for this large 21-foot Last Supper probably in collaboration with other women in her convent.
As a woman, she was unable to study anatomy, so her representation of the body is different from her
16th-century male colleagues. Her painting, however, shows a clear interest in Leonardo's version as
an apostle on the left raises his hands in a similar way to an apostle in Leonardo's painting.
Nelli selected the same moments as Leonardo, with Christ announcing that one of his followers
will betray him. Nelli, however, decided on the more traditional arrangement of Judas placed
on the other side of the table and on a lower level. Where Nelli seems to shine is in her
representation of unusual dishware and also food -- a cooked lamb rest symbolically in front of Christ
the table also features beans and lettuce in addition to bread and wine. Observers have pointed
out that the that the detailed ceramic vessels have vegetal decoration and shades of turquoise
and this may be because women were often commissioned to create "Still Lifes" --that was
something that was not controversial for them to create. The restoration of the damaged Last
Supper was organized through the "Advancing Women Artists" organization as well as other
Florentine organizations. Although the "Advancing Women Artists" organization did close in 2021,
it has inspired a recent renewed interest in women artists that will hopefully endure as
art historical research continues. I hope you've enjoyed this tour of Florentine Last Suppers.
I'm sure i missed a couple, so please share your own ideas and tips in the comments -- and thank you!