LEONARDO DE VINCI PAINTED "THE LAST SUPPER" BY COMMISSION FROM 1494 TO 1498. THERE WAS NO CANVAS. HE ONLY HAD THE ROUGH-SURFACED UPPER WALL OF THE REFECTORY OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE AT MILAN, ITALY. THERE WERE NO MODELS. HE USED PENCIL SKETCHES.
THE PAINTING DETERIORATED FOR CENTURIES.
ANY RESTORATION WAS DONE BY PAINTING OVER THE ORIGINAL ART.
TIMELESS GRIME AND CAKED-ON OILS TOOK THEIR TOLL THROUGH THE YEARS UNTIL THE PAINTING WAS NEARLY UNRECOGNIZABLE.
THE ABOVE PHOTO WAS TAKEN IN 1982 BEFORE RADICAL RESTORATION BEGAN. MYSTERIES WERE HIDDEN FOR FIVE CENTURIES.
IT TOOK FIVE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF TIME TO RESTORE "THE LAST SUPPER" AS IT DID FOR LEONARDO DE VINCI TO PAINT IT! ALL PRIOR RESTORATION ATTEMPTS HAD TO BE REMOVED ALONG WITH CENTURIES OF GRIME AND AIR POLLUTION. THE PAINTING HAD ALSO BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE RAVAGES OF SEVERAL WARS AND EARTHQUAKES.
COLORS WERE BROUGHT OUT TO THEIR ORIGINAL BRILLIANCE. PASTELS WERE AGAIN SOFT AND WARM. SPECIAL LIGHTING, AND DUST PROOF FLOORING WERE COMPLETED BEFORE DRAPES AND SCAFFOLDING WERE TAKEN DOWN. THE CHURCH WAS TOTALLY INSULATED FOR THE PRESERVATION OF ART WORK AS WELL AS FOR THE CHURCH.
WITH EVERYTHING AS PERFECTED AS POSSIBLE, THE PAINTING WAS UNCOVERED FOR LIMITED PUBLIC VIEWING.
THE LAST SUPPER WAS NOT THE PASSOVER SUPPER. CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED BEFORE PASSOVER BEGAN THE NEXT EVENING. THIS TRULY WAS "THE LAST SUPPER" DURING WHICH TIME CHRIST GAVE HIS LAST INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE GOING TO THE GARDEN OF GETHSAMANE TO PRAY... AND WHERE JUDAS BETRAYED CHRIST.
HE WASHED THE FEET OF ALL TWELVE PERSONS IN THE ROOM AND TOLD THEM IT WAS SYMBOLIC THAT ALL PERSONS WERE EQUAL. THE SERVANT AND MASTER
NO LONGER EXISTED FROM THEN ON...
THE LORD'S SUPPER WAS INSTITUTED THAT EVENING WHEN CHRIST BROKE THE BREAD AND GAVE IT TO HIS DISCIPLES, SYMBOLIC OF HIS BODY ABOUT TO BE BROKEN. HE GAVE THEM DRINK WHICH WAS SYMBOLIC OF HIS BLOOD THAT WAS ABOUT TO BE SPILLED THROUGH THE CRUCIFIXION.
