L’ Ultima Cena

The Last Supper or Cenacolo is a wall painting made by Leonardo da Vinci for his patron Lodovico Sforza, the duke of Milan. It display the last supper from the final days of Jesus, as narrated in John’s Gospel 13:21 where Jesus says that one of his disciples would betray him.

Measuring 460x880cm, this painting is displayed in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie a Milano. Da Vinci completed his work in three years, from 1495 to 1498, as narrated by Luca Pacioli who was talking about this as a completed work on February 4, 1498. As well known, this work is not a true fresco. In the frescos, the pigments are mixed with wet plaster and, due to a carbonation process, blend with the plaster thus offering an excellent resistance to the effect of time and wear. Because of the long time he expected to complete his works, Da Vinci chose to make the painting directly on the wall. He used a fatty tempera, an emulsion of siccative oils and proteinic substances. Unfortunately, due to this technique, the painting has not stood the testing of the time well – as mentioned by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the most excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects. The Last Supper portrays some very accurate details which can be seen only by expert people from a close range.