The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci

In the years 1494-1498 Leonardo da Vinci painted his famous "Last Supper", in which Jesus announces that he will be betrayed by one of his disciples:

: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci - mural in the Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie church

Size: 422 x 904 cm - Tempera and oil on brick wall

"But behold, the hand of the one who will betray me is with my on the table. Indeed the Son of Man is going the way, which is appointed unto him., But woe to that man by whom he is betrayed." As they began to argue among themselves which of them it could be who would do this." (LK 22, 21-23)

Leonardo da Vinci, brilliant scientist and artist, has left with the Last Supper an enigmatic masterpiece to the humankind that lets questions unanswered and thus remains mysterious and wonderful.

The position of the present holies in groups of 3 persons, Jesus himself alone in the middle, the vehement gesticulating and miming of the angered disciples as well as the bearing of their hands give drama and reality to the immage.

Because of the stereoscopic perspective of the room's depth and the painted windows in the background, Leonardo da Vinci gives to his Supper light and shadow effects, that let Jesus in the immage's middle seem just more shiny.

Against the traditional technique for wall painting, Da Vinci used for "The Last Supper" a technique of oil and tempera, for that he created atmospherical effects and a special mood.

Soon after finishing the work the living and shining original colour lost aura. The humid north-wall absorbed the colour. This process was strengthened by another door opening in the under middle of the painting in the dining room, that divided the painting in two parts.

The painting survived a bomb attack of the allies in 1943. It was restaured many times. During the last restauration from 1979-1999, one of the most large-scale in history, a lot of colour-levels from former restaurations were removed.

Book to Visit "The Last Supper in Milan"

The mural by Leonardo is located in the dining hall of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie church, Corso Magenta.

The entrance to this masterpiece is strictly regulated and you have to pass several security gates.

Day by day maximum of 1075 visitor visit in always fully booked groups of 25 people the unique masterpiece in the air conditioned refectory.

Opening times

Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2

Open Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 am bis 06:45 pm (last pass)

Closed on Mondays and public holidays: 1 January, 1 May, 25 December.

Guided tours with the Last Supper

Our recommendation: Order tickets for a tour with as the Last Supper time online prior to your departure. To avoid that all tours are fully booked and save a lot of time on the spot with orientation.

In particular guided tours that include the visit of the Last Supper, (March, April, May, June, September, and October) are fully booked very early in the peak travel months.

Leonardo da Vinci in Milan - his life and works

Leonardo da Vinci worked and lived from 1482 - 1499 and from 1506 -1513 in Milan at the Sforza Castle, under the Duke Ludovico il Moro. His job was to take care of the cultural life and the arts at the court of Milan.

During this period, Leonardo da Vinci was busy with inventions, the expansion of the system of Navigli and the construction of locks as well as the study of man. During his time in Milan, he also created the artwork "The Last Supper" and the famous "Lady with Hermlin" (owned by the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow).

Ludovico il Moro was married with Beatrice d'Este and after her death, il Moro let decorate the private room "Sala delle Asse" in the ground floor of the Torre Falconiera (Museum of Ancient Art in the ground floor of the Corte Ducale) by Leonardo. The ceiling fresco was painted by Leonardo 1498, deciduous trees with branches that are connected to each other.

The inventions of Leonardo da Vinci's and the Codex Atlanticus