Would you like to visit Leonardo’s Last Supper? Here’s what there is to discover and how to join the guided tour to discover one of the world’s most famous works of art!
Eternal nostalgic for the masterpiece jealously guarded at the Louvre, that “gioconda” Mona Lisa whose enigmatic smile inspired the famous writer Dan Brown for his gripping crime novel The Da Vinci Code and which can still only be admired today by traveling to the French capital, Italians know full well that they have something to be proud of in the Belpaese for being the birthplace of the undisputed genius of Leonardo da Vinci.
Not all of the great master’s works, fortunately, can be found in large foreign museum spaces; Milan, for example, is home to one of da Vinci’s greatest masterpieces, the beautiful painting of The Last Supper. Declared aUNESCO World Heritage Site; the Cenacolo Vinciano is in fact in the refectory located in Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie in the Ambrosian capital.
Read our guide to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece and find out how you can admire the Last Supper in Milan!
Leonardo’s experimentation, between mysteries and centuries of art history
That Leonardo was an experimenter, an innovator-as well as a skilled and ingenious inventor-is unanimously acknowledged.
Many of his works, in fact, have aroused the curiosity of art historians and enthusiasts, so much so that they have inspired novels and given rise to real legends.
Among his most “talked about” works is the undisputed masterpiece of the Last Supper, the Renaissance painting made for Ludovico Il Moro roughly between 1494 and 1498 and in which Leonardo experimented with different representational and pictorial techniques to bring to life the fascinating depiction of the central episode in the life of Christ, narrated in the Gospel and a cornerstone of the Christian faith. Moreover, the patronage of the Sforza family is also affirmed by the three lunettes that surmount the Last Supper, within which one can recognize the coat of arms of the family that made the history of Milan.
Saved from the passage of time, century after century, until the last lengthy restoration that began in the 1970s and ended in 1999, the Last Supper is a work of rare beauty, rich in minute details and breathtaking detail, whose innovative composition is at the origin of the “mysteries” surrounding it. The most famous, complicit in the even cinematic fame of Dan Brown’s novel, the one that glimpses in the figure of John the evangelical character of Mary Magdalene: literary invention or reality?
Why is John depicted looking so feminine? Why does Judas not stand aside, as in most other depictions of the episode in the Gospel of John 13:21, but is with the other eleven, surrounded beside the figure of Jesus?
And why is the chalice and Eucharist missing from the set table, where Leonardo’s mastery shows the different foods in detail?
These are all questions that still contribute to the fascination and legendary aura around Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, and which are answered by the many iconographic studies devoted to the Da Vinci masterpiece.
Made with a technique referred to as “miniaturist” for its incredible attention to minute details, the Last Supper is by definition a “wall painting on dry plaster,” not a fresco.
The extraordinary perspective, with the vanishing point right above Christ’s head and a skillful visual interplay that creates continuity between real and painted space, is history by now: the Last Supper by Vinciano is a must-see work, a must-see if you are visiting Milan.
But what is most surprising is precisely the instant that Leonardo decided to immortalize in order to consecrate to eternity the characters in his work: it is, in fact, the depiction of the moment when Jesus announces to his disciples that he will soon be betrayed by one of them.
Hence the dynamism of the scene: the disciples appear agitated, whispering among themselves, wondering who could possibly be the one who is about to betray the son of God… it is the representation, so dear to Leonardo, of the “motions of the soul”!
Once again, the talent of the great Italian artist ensured that from his hands was shaped a work destined to enchant future generations, century after century. And let’s face it, despite endless preservation vicissitudes, The Last Supper, like the other vincian masterpieces, still succeeds in its intent with incredible effectiveness!
How to visit the Cenacolo Vinciano in Milan
Visiting Leonardo’s Last Supper may not be so easy: the waits to be able to stand in front of Leonardo’s masterpiece can be long, but with Neiade you can book a guided tour, complete with a skip-the-line ticket, lasting about an hour and a half during and thanks to which you will be able to learn about the history of this incredible work, but not only!
Leonardo’s Last Supper is kept inside the refectory that stands next to the basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, at number 2 in the square of the same name: the church also hides many treasures that deserve to be revealed.
A landmark for art lovers passing through Milan, Leonardo’s Last Supper is a place that can be visited and discovered, however, even while sitting comfortably on the couch in your home.
How? With Neiade’s virtual tours, in an engaging visit to the Upper Room, on demand!
Between a tour of the Galleria and a visit to the Duomo, if you are in the beautiful city of Milan, you cannot miss the opportunity to let Leonardo da Vinci surprise you once again with one of his works, the most famous in the world.
