{"id":12938,"date":"2019-11-11T09:58:16","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T09:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/?p=12938"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:44:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T12:44:56","slug":"leonardo-da-vinci-last-supper-restoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/leonardo-da-vinci-last-supper-restoration","title":{"rendered":"A Fine Line: Restoring Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Leonardo da Vinci began painting The Last Supper<\/a><\/em> in 1495, and over five hundred years later it has become one of the most prolific paintings in history. Tickets to see it are treated like gold-dust, and for good reason. Full of symbolism, secrets and speculation, The<\/em> Last Supper<\/em> is a painting with a violent, and rich past. But along with conspiracy theories surrounding Judas’ depiction, spilled salt and whether or not Mary Magdalene is present among the apostles, a more pressing concern takes centre stage: The efforts to restore the quickly disintegrating masterpiece<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Leonardo da Vinci<\/a> was commissioned to paint The Last Supper <\/em>at the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The Duke intended for the church to become the Sforza family mausoleum. Da Vinci, however, had much bigger aspirations for this piece. Yet to paint the Mona Lisa<\/a>, by 1495 da Vinci had showcased his skill with works such as Portrait of an Unknown Woman\u00a0<\/em> and The Virgin of the Rocks. <\/em>He had built up quite the reputation – but for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\r\n

Da Vinci consistently failed to deliver commissions on time and often, failed to deliver them at all. The praise his artistic skill had earned him was quickly being replaced with sneers and jokes at his expense. His peers were even suggesting that he was no longer able to finish a painting. A grand biblical scene which depicted the final supper before Jesus was betrayed was just the opportunity he needed to showcase his skill. So with Sforza’s commission, Leonardo set out to save his name.<\/p>\r\n\"\"\"A\r\n

Presumed self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Public domain photo via Wikicommons<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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