What is known about the history of the creation of the “Last Supper”?

It is known for certain that the author of the fresco “The Last Supper” is the greatest Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is located on the end wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy). When reading the name, it is customary to stress the first syllable in the word “vespers,” sometimes pronounced “vechera” (with an “e” at the end).

Fresco The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

The 460×880 cm biblical fresco is Leonardo’s attempt to visually enlarge the room, mainly through perspective. It is complemented by drawing the lighting of the background, which occurs during the morning and evening meals of the monks. In fact, it was a successful experiment with 3D imagery, which was available to painters at the end of the fifteenth century.

Some experts claim that the images of the Apostles are faces from the client’s entourage, but Leonardo himself never mentioned this. The genius master of painting worked on the depiction of the “Last Supper” for almost 4 years, from 1495 to 1498. It was a well-paid order of wealthy nobles – the Duke of Lodovico Sforza and his wife Beatrice d’Este.

Work had to be done intermittently, it was a difficult time for the country, most of the Dominican archives burned. Therefore, many details about the works of the great master could only be confirmed by eyewitnesses, from whose words this period in the work of Leonardo is described. Copies are also known, in all likelihood the works of his many pupils, including Giampertino.

Who is depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s legendary painting?

In the 19th century, when Leonardo da Vinci’s working notes and some sketches were discovered, the names of the Apostles in The Last Supper could be identified. Up to that point it was possible to determine with certainty where Jesus and Judas were. Even believers could roughly tell where John and Peter were, on either side, as the closest disciples.

It is not a fact that the disciples sit at the table in that order, but it is common to name them in order or in groups:

• Bartholomew, James of Alphaeus, and Andrew;
• Judas Iscariot (in green), Peter, and John (in dialogue);
• James Zebedee, Thomas, and Philip;
• Matthew, Judas Thaddeus, and Simon.

This is not an exact identification because even in the 4 Gospels the names (nicknames) of the 12 disciples are listed slightly differently. The fact is that there were no surnames yet, there were double names and nicknames. Often the city of birth and the reference to the father replaced the surname. For example, Judas Iscariot – an indication of the city where he joined the cohort of the Savior’s closest friends. And “brothers of Zebedee” referred to “brothers of thunder” (a loud voice).

Leonardo’s closest disciples of Christ from the Last Supper have been tried in various ways, including secret signs, occult practices, and zodiacal signs. But these are all hoaxes that have nothing to do with the hierarchy according to which the guests of the meal were seated.

The guests were usually seated according to their kinship or importance to the host. But the host of the room, according to the Gospel text, was an outsider, a secret follower of the Messiah, who prepared the upper room. If an outsider had been there, he would have been seated somewhere near the edge or where one washes up before a meal.

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