The Last Supper
Artist : Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
Date : 1495-1498
Medium : fresco-secco
Dimensions : 460x880cm
Current Location : Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy
The work is presumed to have been started around 1495–96 and was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to a Dominican monastery in Santa Maria delle Grazie, by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.
The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John. Leonardo has depicted the consternation that occurred among the Twelve Disciples when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him.
All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. The apostles are identified from a manuscript (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci p. 232) with their names found in the 19th century.
From left to right, according to the apostles' heads:
Bartholomew1,
James2, son of Alphaeus, and Andrew3 form a group of
three; all are surprised.
Judas
Iscariot4, Peter5, and John6 form another
group of three.
Apostle
Thomas7, James8 the Greater, and Philip9 are the next group of three.
Matthew10,
Jude Thaddeus11, and Simon12 the Zealot are the final
group of three.
Judas Iscariot4 is wearing green and blue and is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as treasurer. He is also tipping over the salt cellar. This may be related to the near-Eastern expression to "betray the salt" meaning to betray one's Master. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is also horizontally the lowest of anyone in the painting.
Peter5 looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest.
The youngest apostle, John6 , appears to swoon.
Thomas7 is clearly upset; the raised index finger foreshadows his incredulity of the Resurrection.
James8 the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip9 appears to be requesting some explanation.
Both Jude Thaddeus11 and Matthew10 are turned toward Simon12 , perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.
