The Last Supper

The Last Supper is a large wall painting inside a refectory within Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, showing Jesus with twelve figures seated at a long table. Leonardo da Vinci used an experimental technique on dry plaster, creating a scene with perspective that seems to extend the room itself.

Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint the refectory wall between 1495 and 1498, as part of a larger renovation of the Dominican convent. The work began to deteriorate within a few decades, as the new painting technique did not hold well on the damp surface.

People come here to study the faces and hand gestures of the figures, which show so much feeling that visitors often whisper, as though not to disturb the scene. When the light hits just right, the fresco looks like an open window onto a table where someone has just spoken a shocking truth.

Visitors must book tickets in advance, as only small groups are allowed into the climate-controlled viewing room for 15 minutes at a time. Standing directly at the wall and then stepping back helps to understand the perspective effect Leonardo built into the composition.

A small detail at the left edge of the composition shows Christ holding a transparent glass, nearly invisible now because the paint faded over the centuries. During the 1990s restoration, experts found that Leonardo repainted certain sections several times, likely because he was not satisfied with the emotional expression.

Location: Milan

Inception: 1490s

Creator: Leonardo da Vinci

Height: 700 cm

Width: 880 cm

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Made from material: tempera, gesso

Address: Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie, 2, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 08:15-18:45

Phone: +390292800360

Website: https://cenacolovinciano.org

GPS coordinates: 45.46647,9.17087

Latest update: December 14, 2025 20:44