{"id":7626,"date":"2015-07-30T13:10:24","date_gmt":"2015-07-30T12:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=7626"},"modified":"2023-02-16T16:23:07","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T16:23:07","slug":"facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper","title":{"rendered":"8 Fascinating Facts You Didn\u2019t Know About Da Vinci\u2019s Last Supper"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance art. Finished in 1498, the wall painting is still available to see in person at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. There are a lot of amazing things to do in Milan, but seeing da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper is definitely a highlight. The enormous picture (it\u2019s 15 feet by 29 feet) paints the moment right after Jesus declares to his twelve apostles that one of them will betray him \u2013 right down to the individual expressions on each apostle\u2019s face! Da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper is so famous that you&#8217;ve probably seen a copy more than a few times, but how much do you really know about the masterwork? Here are 8 facts that will probably surprise you:<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7628\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_The_Last_Supper_high_res.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7628\" class=\"wp-image-7628\" src=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_The_Last_Supper_high_res.jpg\" alt=\"Public Domain version of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Photo from Wikicommons\" width=\"600\" height=\"326\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7628\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A big painting, with a lot of mystery! Photo from Wikicommons<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#The_Last_Supper_is_not_a_fresco\" >The Last Supper is not a fresco<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#Leonardo_got_inventive_to_nail_the_paintings_perspective\" >Leonardo got inventive\u00a0to nail the painting\u2019s perspective<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#The_Last_Supper_is_not_just_art_but_math_as_well\" >The Last Supper is not just art, but math as well<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#He_likely_used_familiar_faces_%E2%80%93_maybe_even_his_own\" >He likely used familiar faces \u2013 maybe even his own<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#Two_other_copies_exist\" >Two other copies exist\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#Each_figure_serves_a_specific_purpose_and_creates_a_very_emotional_whole\" >Each figure serves a\u00a0specific purpose, and creates a very emotional whole<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#Todays_mural_might_be_significantly_different_to_da_Vincis_original_work\" >Today&#8217;s\u00a0mural might be significantly different to\u00a0da Vinci\u2019s original\u00a0work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/facts-about-da-vincis-last-supper\/#Its_still_being_studied_today_and_we_dont_have_all_the_answers\" >It\u2019s still being studied today, and we don\u2019t have all the answers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Last_Supper_is_not_a_fresco\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The Last Supper is not a fresco<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Though it is a wall painting, da Vinci invented a new\u00a0method to complete the Last Supper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Da Vinci needed time to work on the Last Supper, time which fresco painting doesn\u2019t allow. In a fresco, tempera\u00a0has to be added quickly before the plaster dries, forcing an artist to work quickly and making it very difficult to make changes. Instead, da Vinci decided to add tempera\u00a0to already dry plaster, allowing\u00a0him to work slowly, develop the shading that comes with the <em>chiaroscuro<\/em> of the mural and make any changes necessary over time. He did this by coating the wall with a material that absorbs the oil paint and protects it against moisture. While it did allow him to paint as he wished, the paint began to break loose from the base coat as early as 1517 \u2013 just about two decades after he began. As a result da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper has suffered changes in temperature, moisture and humidity more than most frescoes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Leonardo_got_inventive_to_nail_the_paintings_perspective\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Leonardo got inventive\u00a0to nail the painting\u2019s perspective<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leonardo da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper is particularly incredible for the perspective the great artist\u00a0successfully employed. Arguably the best example of one point perspective in the world, every single element of the painting directs attention directly to Christ\u2019s head, right in the middle of the composition. Da Vinci accomplished\u00a0this by driving a nail into the wall at Jesus\u2019 temple, the exact focal point of the painting. From the nail, he radiated string in various directions to help him see the room\u2019s perspective and paint the other elements in the piece in a way that led the eye back to Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The downside of this setup was that it forced da Vinci to depict some of the disciples\u00a0somewhat thanklessly from behind. This went against\u00a0 Leonardo&#8217;s desire for an expressive characterization of each of the twelve Apostles. But a circular table would not provide adequate opportunity for exploiting the dramatic element of the scene.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Last_Supper_is_not_just_art_but_math_as_well\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>The Last Supper is not just art, but math as well<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">An engineer and inventor, Leonardo was well known for using math in all of his works and that includes his paintings. Da Vinci\u2019s peer, Luca Pacioli, once wrote in De Divina Proportione (On the Divine Proportion), \u201cWithout mathematics there is no art.\u201d In fact, da Vinci supplied the illustrations for that book. Da Vinci&#8217;s drawings show\u00a0that most bodily proportions use the Golden Ratio, a mathematical way to decipher artistic proportion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Besides the Golden Ratio, many say that there is mathematical symbolism in the Last Supper as well. There are allusions to the number 3, likely representing the Holy Trinity. The disciples are seated in groups of three, there are three windows and Jesus is depicted in a triangle shape with his outstretched arms.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"He_likely_used_familiar_faces_%E2%80%93_maybe_even_his_own\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>He likely used familiar faces \u2013 maybe even his own<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Most accounts claim that da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper uses\u00a0the faces of actual people to stand in for the apostles\u2019 faces. It\u2019s said that he loitered around jails and with Milanese criminals to find an appropriate face and expression for Judas, the fourth figure from the left and the apostle who ultimately betrayed Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He might have even painted himself in the wall mural! Though it&#8217;s never been\u00a0proven, some art historians say that da Vinci painted his own likeness as that of St. James the Less. Either that, or the apostle looked a lot like the painter!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Two_other_copies_exist\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Two other copies exist\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Last Supper was a popular theme to play on for artists and Catholics of the time and has been painted many times by other artists. However, two early, exact copies of <em>da Vinci\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Last Supper are known to exist. Likely created by Leonardo\u2019s assistants, the copies are nearly the exact size and likeness of the original and are remarkably well preserved. One copy can be found in the collection of the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the other in the Church of St. Ambrogio in Ponte Capriasca, Switzerland.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Each_figure_serves_a_specific_purpose_and_creates_a_very_emotional_whole\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Each figure serves a\u00a0specific purpose, and creates a very emotional whole<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Da Vinci\u2019s Last Supper was certainly not the first painting of the famous\u00a0biblical scene, but it changed the scene partly for the apostles\u2019 specific expressions and the intimate feeling that they create. Bartholomew, James the Less and Andrew are all shocked by Christ\u2019s proclamation, and Andrew has his hands up to stop the words. Judas, Peter and John form the next group of three. Peter is angry and John seems faint, but Judas has his face in the shadow. In the past Judas was painted separated from the group off to the side. Instead, Leonardo paints Judas among the group, but lost from Christ\u2019s light \u2013 literally \u2013 as he is covered by a shadow. After Christ is Thomas, James the Greater and Philip, each agitated, stunned or confused, respectively. Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon form the last three, with the first two looking to the latter for an explanation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Christ, on the other hand, represents calm in the face of chaos. As the apostles run the gamut of emotions, Christ is in the center of the storm, calm and expansive, providing both a perspective and emotional anchor for the scene. The objects around Christ have fallen over, representing the chaos when he is not around, while those in front of him are orderly. With his arms spread out, possibly representing the Holy Trinity, he is pointing to the bread and wine before him, each a symbol of the moment Jesus will sacrifice himself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Da Vinci believed in emotional realism in his work, and The Last Supper captures just that. It\u2019s an electric, human and emotional scene, and it was meant to be that way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Todays_mural_might_be_significantly_different_to_da_Vincis_original_work\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Today&#8217;s\u00a0mural might be significantly different to\u00a0da Vinci\u2019s original\u00a0work<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7630\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2360262221_4b90ce8638_z.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7630\" class=\"wp-image-7630 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/2360262221_4b90ce8638_z.jpg\" alt=\"The Last Supper is located in the monk's dining hall of the beautiful Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan. Photo by Francesco Sgroi\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7630\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Last Supper is located in the monk&#8217;s dining hall of the beautiful Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan. Photo by Francesco Sgroi<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s new method for mural painting was not a success in terms of longevity. The Last Supper began to deteriorate almost instantly. Over the years da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper has been restored more than once. The most recent restoration took years and is very controversial in the art world, with some saying it is a grand success and other\u2019s saying it has ruined the integrity of the piece, namely because it removed earlier restorations. Painted by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, many are upset with her\u00a0use of watercolors and her\u00a0decision to fill in gaps with the bright watercolor paint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">James Beck, Art History Professor at Columbia University in New York, has said that the Last Supper remains just 20 percent Leonardo and 60 percent the work of the restorer. Though the outline remains, we can\u2019t truly know how similar the current painting is to da Vinci\u2019s original masterpiece.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_still_being_studied_today_and_we_dont_have_all_the_answers\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>It\u2019s still being studied today, and we don\u2019t have all the answers<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There are dozens of hypothesis, conspiracies and myths surrounding da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper, many of which can be read in the popular Dan Brown novel, <em>The Da Vinci Code<\/em>. There are also dozens of real facts that we just don\u2019t have about the celebrated painting. Why did he choose those particular foods? Why is the bread leavened? Why is Judas\u2019 plate empty? It\u2019s true that da Vinci often included symbols and commentary in his artwork, but without any written records, we just can\u2019t be sure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>More information:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>For an extensive guide on how to see da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/milan\/last-supper-tickets\">blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tickets cost \u20ac6.50, but\u00a0the only way to get one is by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivaticket.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">booking online<\/a> months \u2013 and we mean months \u2013 in advance. There is an additional\u00a0\u20ac1.50 booking fee. Or make the most of your time and skip the line to see\u00a0the Last Supper, climb to the Duomo&#8217;s rooftop and tour the hip Brera neighborhood on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/milan-tours\/best-of-milan-tour-last-supper-tickets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Best of Milan Tour<\/a>. It&#8217;s open to the public from 8:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2,\u00a0Tel.\u00a0+390 2 9280 0360.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7984\" src=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Copy-of-10-BEAUTOF-2.jpg\" alt=\"Think you know one of the most famous paintings in the world? You have no idea. Find out the secrets of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterwork. \" width=\"620\" height=\"775\" \/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance art. Finished in 1498, the wall painting is still available to see in person at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. There are a lot of amazing things to do in Milan, but seeing da Vinci&#8217;s Last Supper is definitely a highlight. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":7862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[68,20,101,69,17],"ppma_author":[161],"class_list":["post-7626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-culture","tag-art","tag-attractions","tag-culture","tag-history","tag-milan"],"authors":[{"term_id":161,"user_id":40,"is_guest":0,"slug":"ginamussio","display_name":"Gina Mussio","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9497ce1b0417babd82886ad23b18998?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Mussio","first_name":"Gina","job_title":"","description":"Gina is a Midwesterner living in Lombardy, Italy where she writes about Italian culture, travel and food. She is a bilingual primary school teacher by day, forever interested in developing cross-culture communication skills across languages. Gina loves touring Italy's beautiful and tiny borghi with her family and exploring Italy's culture through its culinary history."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7626"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7626"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17639,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7626\/revisions\/17639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7626"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}