FACTS ABOUT LEONARDO DA VINCI'S LAST SUPPER

             
          Da Vinci’s original mural measures approximately some 29 feet square, if the ceiling arch was squared off.  It is housed in the dining room (refectory) of the MARIA DELLE GRAZIE, a Dominican monastery in Milan, Italy.  To insure a smoothe surface for his painting, Leonardo covered the rough, brick wall with a type of clay made of sand and calcium carbonate.  Then, he added additional layers of calcium carbonate, a type of gesso, covering it with a coat of white lead paint.



Schematic drawing of the Last Supper identifying the apostles

           Leonardo captured images of the apostles: Bartholomew, James the minor, and Andrew---Judas, Peter and John (Christ) Thomas, James THE Minor and Philippe---Matthew, Thaddeus and Simon, at the dramatic moment that Christ said, ”One of you shall betray me!”

         Leonardo  executed the LAST SUPPER with oil infused dry pigment, to insure a slower drying time for better modeling. The dampness in the building soon caused a clay base to pull away from the wall.  The calcium carbonate disintegrated, causing the paint to peel and crack, because it was not infused into the plaster like a regular fresco.  The LAST SUPPER’S recent 20 year restoration was by  Dr.Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, who removed the paint of earlier restorers.  She reattached the remaining shreds of Leonardo’s paint to the wall and filled in blank areas of the painting with water color.  However, the mural  remains a faint glimmer of his original.

          I have  been researching Da Vinci since 1983, and I have re-created the LAST SUPPER by scrutinizing hundreds of photos and pieces of copies of the original with a 10-power jeweler’s loop. From the mountain of information gleaned from her studies, she put her painting together like a giant jig-saw puzzle. Her painting reflects the image of Leonardo’s original mural in its former glory.