Depicting the last meal before Jesus’ crucifixion, The Last Supper captures
an important event in the Christian faith. Though many artists tried their hand at
The Last Supper, the world recognizes Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece the most.
Despite being completed in 1498, this mural is still one of the most
known paintings of all time. From the 3 years that Da Vinci spent
painting this masterpiece until the present, many mysteries have surrounded this piece of art.
Here are 30 The Last Supper facts that will deconstruct the secrets of this painting.
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1. Da Vinci painted The Last Supper to capture a very specific moment.
At first glance, the painting only illustrates Jesus’ having a meal with his disciples,
but Da Vinci chose a particular moment of that evening to paint. If you take a closer look,
the painting shows the disciples in varying degrees of shock and rage. That said,
The Last Supper depicts the apostles’ reactions after Jesus announced the betrayal about to happen.
2. The original painting can only be found in Milan, Italy.
As one of the most iconic paintings in the world, The Last Supper has many replicas across the globe.
However, the original painting still lies in its original place at the Santa Maria Delle Grazie.
Over the centuries, the painting stayed in this Dominican convent in Milan
to preserve its delicate condition.
3. The Last Supper is not a mainstream art.
When Da Vinci completed The Last Supper in 1495, the early art industry heavily focused on Frescos
or mural paintings with water-based paints. Although it was painted on a wall, Da Vinci didn't
follow the fresco technique because of several reasons. For one, frescos would need the painter
to rush the work before the plaster could dry. With more attention to detail, Da Vinci wanted
to achieve something grander than what the Fresco method could allow at the time.
4. Da Vinci used his technique in painting the Last Supper.
Since the fresco technique limited his capabilities as an artist,
Da Vinci had to go with a different technique. Using tempera paints on stone,
Da Vinci primed the wall to eliminate moisture. This base layer helped
capture the grander luminosity he was aiming for in the final product.
5. Most of the brushstrokes from the original Last Supper is gone.
While Da Vinci’s technique initially gave his painting a stunning appearance, it did not do much
for its life span. Although the painting became known as one of many firsts in art, historians
say that Da Vinci’s tempera method greatly contributed to the painting’s eventual decay.
By the start of the 16th century, the painting was already showing signs of flaking and fading.
Before we even knew it, The Last Supper became a ruin of its glory after only 50 years.
6. A nail and hammer helped Da Vinci achieve The Last Supper's depth.
While painting, your perspective makes or breaks your piece. According to historians,
Da Vinci’s striking use of perspective played a large part in The Last Supper’s success.
To capture the perfect angles that make up the scene, Da Vinci hammered a nail
into a wall and tied the canvas to a string with guided marks.
7. The Last Supper may have been modeled after real individuals.
Technicalities aside, one look at the painting can help you appreciate the vivid and realistic
expressions of the apostles. Because of this, some theories have claimed that the apostles’
likeness were based on real-life people. Some of these theories even suggest that
Leonardo Da Vinci painted Judas Iscariot in the likeness of an actual criminal.
8. Earlier paintings of The Last Supper depicted Jesus with a halo on His head.
Like many Biblical events, The Last Supper is one of the most significant imagery in
Christian faith. This is why many artists have also made their own depictions of The Last Supper,
which often featured Jesus with a halo in their renditions.
However, Da Vinci opted not to paint a halo, possibly due to his beliefs.
Some historians suggest that Da Vinci’s choice came from believing nature alone instead of God.
As a result, he may have painted everyone at the table as common people.
9. The Last Supper is a symbolic artwork.
For many years, scholars and historians have
studied each element in Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. According to them,
the painting teems with symbolism that you can find just about anywhere.
For example, you could see salt spilled from its container near the elbow of Judas.
According to scholars, Da Vinci may have been portraying bad luck, religion, or
loss. On a brighter note, some interpret it as a symbolism of Jesus as the salt of the earth.
10. There are debates on the meaning of fish in the Last Supper table.
Aside from the main subjects, some scholars have tried to interpret the food in the painting.
One of the most common debates is whether the fish is an eel or a herring. In Italian, eel translates
to aringa, which also means indoctrination. Additionally, an Italian dialect for herring is
renga, which can also describe someone denying religion.
11. There are 3 copies of the original Last Supper painting.
In the early 16th century, three of Leonardo da Vinci’s students made copies of the painting.
Da Vinci’s student Giampietrino made the first full-scale copy which can now be found
in London’s Royal Academy of Arts. The second one came from Andrea Solari,
which now lies in Belgium’s Leonardo da Vinci Museum.
Lastly, the third copy by Cesare da Sesto can be found at the Church of Saint Ambrogio in Switzerland.
12. The Last Supper painting has suffered a lot of damage.
Aside from its natural decay, The Last Supper has also endured other damages through the centuries.
In 1652, the construction of a door damaged a big chunk from the artwork – particularly,
the feet of Jesus. The wall was further damaged during the 18th Century,
when soldiers made the area into a stable.
13. You have to book four months ahead to view the Last Supper painting.
If you want to see this masterpiece in the flesh, you’d have to prepare months in advance.
You can usually secure a viewing for around 2-15 Euros. However,
you need to get it 4 months before your actual visit, since it’s a hot item all year round!
14. Viewers of the Last Supper mural have time limits.
Despite many restoration efforts, the painting still remains as a fragile piece of art.
In an effort to preserve and slow down the deterioration of the painting,
visitors can only view it for 15 minutes in small groups at a time.
15. Da Vinci's Last Supper was the most famous painting that depicted Jesus.
Although many iconic art pieces have depicted religious themes,
scholars consider The Last Supper as Jesus’ most famous painting.
16. You can find a pretzel in the Last Supper painting.
You’d be surprised to know that there’s a half-eaten pretzel at the table during the
Last Supper meal. Although you may think of it as a fairly recent snack, pretzels have been around
for ages, even representing spiritual meanings. In the middle ages, people only ate pretzels during
Lent’s penitential season. It’s said that Jesus gives the other half of the pretzel to Judas,
which symbolizes how Christ has offered him penance from his sins.
17. Mary Magdalene was not in Da Vinci’s painting.
Many speculations suggest that the person meant to occupy the space on Jesus’ left side
was Mary Magdalene. Although historians confirm that she was there during the actual event,
Da Vinci did not include her in the painting.
18. The disciples fell asleep after the Last Supper.
Right after their meal,
Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and lament His crucifixion. Before leaving, He asked
His disciples to stay awake for an hour or so to keep watch. However, they all fell asleep.
19. The Duke of Milan commissioned the Last Supper in 1494 for their family mausoleum.
During Da Vinci’s first extended stay in the city, he got commissioned by Ludovico Sforza,
his patron and the Duke of Milan. This also explains why the three lunettes above the
original mural bear the Sforza coats of arms with the family’s initials.
20. The Last Supper restorations have been controversial.
While done with good intentions, many have criticized the restoration attempts
for the painting, as it stripped the work of Da Vinci’s nuanced details.
With the original details lost to time or painted over,
the piece seen today is only an echo of Da Vinci’s original masterpiece.
21. The painting’s first restoration lasted 20 years.
Starting in 1999, restorers worked in small sections to remove previous retouches, dirt,
and coats of varnish to the painting. Similarly, they added beige watercolour
to the parts beyond repair.
22. The Last Supper may also have number symbolism.
The mural portrays the disciples in clusters of 3,
with 3 windows behind Jesus’ that may symbolize the Holy Trinity.
23. The Last Supper counts as the first celebration of the Eucharist.
Aside from Jesus’ announcement, the painting also captures the moment before the first Eucharist,
where Jesus took a symbolic glass of wine and bread.
Eventually, this practice became a key symbol in the Christian sacraments.
24. Many external factors influenced the painting’s decay.
While sitting in its sanctuary, the painting suffered from the exhaust of the monastery’s
kitchen, the soot from its candles, and the location’s overall dampness.
25. World War II’s vibrations contributed to the damage of the original Last Supper painting.
In World War II, the painting got significantly damaged when an Allied bomb crashed into the
refectory that housed the painting. While the painting survived, the collapsed roof
and wall exposed it to the elements for months until reconstruction completed.
26. The Last Supper is also known as the Cenacolo.
Upon its completion in 1498, the painting became known to Italy as Il Cenacolo
or L’Ultima Cena.
27. Many consider this piece as a complex study of human emotions.
Da Vinci believed that a subject’s posture,
gesture, and expression should reflect the notions of the mind.
As such, he painted the expressions of each disciple based on their personality.
28. Mary Shelley criticized copies of The Last Supper.
Aside from Frankenstein, Gothic novelist Mary Shelly also wrote of her impression
of the painting in her 1844 travel narrative, Rambles in Germany and
Italy. The author claimed that Da Vinci’s original
rendition portrayed a divine element that could not be seen in the replicas.
29. The Da Vinci Code used The Last Supper as a basis for a controversial theory.
Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code gained controversy for one of
its characters suggesting Mary Magdalene’s involvement with The Last Supper. From there,
many people have speculated on theories claiming her alleged romantic entanglement with Jesus.
30. Music may be hidden in The Last Supper.
In 2011, Italian musician Giovanni Maria Pala
discovered a possible code hidden in the painting in the form of a musical piece.
Upon close inspection and experimentation, Pala indicated that the positions of the hands and
loaves of bread could be interpreted as notes on a musical staff. Once read from right to left like
Da Vinci’s writing, the resulting notes form a piece said to be solemn like a requiem.
Of all the world’s known art pieces, The Last Supper may be the most controversial
one tied to conspiracies and supernatural elements.
We may never get a chance to know Da Vinci’s true intent,
but the fact that it keeps people guessing until today says a lot about the art and the artist.
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