The Last Supper ★★★

Leonardo Da Vinci's fresco masterpiece, Il Cenacolo (The Last Supper), in Milan's Santa Maria delle Grazie church

When Aldous Huxley called Leonardo's 1495-97 masterpiece "the saddest work of art in the world," he was not referring the impact of the scene—the moment Christ tells his disciples "One of you will betray me."—but to the fresco's advanced state of deterioration.

It's one of the largest and most ingenious works created by the Ultimate Renaissance Man—but unfortunately, while that man possessed a formidable scientific curiosity he had not the discipline or inclination to experiment with new techniques before trying them out on a large scale.

Leonardo did not paint this scene in buon fresco (painting on wet plaster so the colors bind with the base), but rather experimented with oils on semi-dry plaster. The image started deteriorating even before he was finished, a state not helped when Napoléon's troops used it for target practice, or when World War II bombs ripped off the roof, leaving the room exposed to the elements for three years.

A 21-year restoration finished in 1999 removed centuries of over-painting by hapless early "restorers," and filled in the completely vanished bits with pale watercolor washes. But even the shadow that remains of this great work can teach us volumes about Renaissance ideals.

As was common in that era, the scene decorates the end wall of the refectory, or dining hall, of Santa Maria delle Grazie's adjacent Dominican convent. The work has been a touchstone of Renaissance art from the very beginning, and art students have journeyed here to study it since the day it was finished.

Tips & links

Share this page

Search ReidsItaly.com