The Last Supper

Technical Specifications

460 × 880 cm (15 ft 1 in × 28 ft 10 in) — Leonardo's largest work. Tempera on gesso, pitch, and mastic on a dry stone wall — deliberately NOT true fresco. A white lead undercoat enhanced brightness. Traces of gold and silver foils were found. Located in the Refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Completed approximately February 9, 1498.

A Chronicle of Destruction

The painting began deteriorating almost immediately because the paint merely sat atop the wall surface rather than bonding chemically as in true fresco:

• 1556 — Vasari called it "a muddle of blots"
• 1652 — A doorway was cut through the lower center, destroying Christ's feet
• 1796 — French troops used the refectory as a stable, throwing stones at the apostles' eyes
• August 15, 1943 — Allied bombing destroyed large portions of the refectory; sandbag protection saved the painting wall
• 1978–1999 — Pinin Brambilla Barcilon's 21-year restoration: 38,000 hours

Result: approximately 42.5% of Leonardo's original work survives. Visitors are now limited to groups of 25 for 15 minutes with air-lock entry.

Mathematical Construction

The single vanishing point is located at Christ's right temple — pointing to the sensus communis (center of the brain per Renaissance anatomy). Leonardo hammered a nail at this point and stretched strings radially to construct the perspective grid. The nail hole is still visible. The optimal viewing point is approximately 15 feet above ground.

The Thirteen

Each apostle is identified (from a mid-16th-century inscribed copy), arranged in groups of three — four groups for the four Gospels, three figures each for the Trinity: