Milan · 1494 -1498 · visual survey
The original Last Supper and its copies
What really remains of the image painted by Leonardo - and what the old copies allow us to find.
Identity card
The Last Supper in numbers: dates, dimensions, support and location
The essential landmarks distinguish the original mural from the copies on canvas which then disseminated its composition.
Leonardo worked for several years in the refectory, with a slowness incompatible with the traditional fresco executed on fresh coating.
The painted scene measures almost nine meters wide. Its monumentality can only be fully understood on the scale of the refectory.
Wall painting applied to a dry preparation with organic binders: an experimental technique, and not a fresco in the strict sense.
Refectory of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, Milan.
The Duke of Milan, known as "il Moro", commissioned Leonardo to create the major decoration of the refectory linked to the religious complex.
The moment when Christ announces his imminent betrayal: a word which triggers twelve chain reactions.
Useful precision: the 460 × 880 cm correspond to the main stage. Some higher measurements published elsewhere encompass a larger portion of the wall and its upper decoration.
The short answer
The work remains, but not as an intact image
The original Last Supper has not disappeared. It still occupies the wall for which Leonardo designed it, in the Dominican refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Its composition, its fictional architecture, part of its drawing and fragments of authentic painting remain visible.
On the other hand, the experimental technique on dry coating deteriorated very early. Humidity, refectory uses, old restorations, opening a door in the lower part and the war have profoundly altered the surface. What we are looking at today is therefore both a material original, a consolidated ruin and the result of a critical restoration.
I · The original
A mural designed as an extension of the refectory
The lines of flight extend the actual room towards a painted room. Christ is placed at the point of balance: central window, body triangle, calm in the midst of reactions.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Wall is not just support
The work covers the north wall of the refectory. The painted table responds to the tables of the Dominican friars; the coffered ceiling, the side hangings and the three openings at the back create a depth which seems to continue the real architecture.
Leonardo chooses the moment when Christ announces that one of the apostles will betray him. The shock spreads through gestures, looks and inclinations, while Jesus remains isolated in the center.
II · A vulnerable image
From technical experience to restoration in 1999
Leonardo does not fresco on wet plaster. He works on a dry wall to go over the details, but this freedom makes the adhesion much more fragile.
Slow execution
Working on dry coating allows modeling, rework and transparencies close to easel paint.
Early degradation
Ancient accounts quickly point to a surface that flakes and loses cohesion.
The door
An opening is cut into the wall under Christ, notably removing his feet.
The bombing
The refectory is seriously affected; the protected wall holds, but the architectural context suffers.
The big construction site
Pinin Brambilla Barcilon removes repaintings, consolidates the surface and makes the fragments attributable to Leonardo legible.
III · Ancient witnesses
Three copies to approach the lost image
They do not tell exactly the same story: date, medium, format, state of conservation and choice of copyist determine what each transmits.
London · around 1520
Giampietrino: the witness to lost details
This almost full-scale copy is most useful for elements of the lower zone: feet of Christ, legs of the apostles, transparent objects and food. It was an important comparator during the great modern restoration project.
The canvas has, however, been reduced: its upper part and part of its width have been removed. It therefore illuminates the table and the figures better than the entire architecture.
To observe: feet, carafes, tablecloth, dishes
Écouen · order of 1506
Marco d'Oggiono: a direct and very early recovery
Commissioned in Milan by Gabriel Gouffier, this oil on canvas is one of the first major French witnesses of the composition. It retains the distribution into four groups, the scale of the table and a much denser colorful reading.
However, it simplifies the architectural perspective and transforms several faces. Its interest lies as much in its chronological proximity as in the way in which the Leonardo workshop disseminated the invention.
To observe: colors, faces, foreground
Tongerlo · early 16th century
The full version of the painted space
Tongerlo's copy is traditionally linked to Leonardo's entourage, sometimes to Andrea Solari. The exact attribution remains debated; its documentary value comes mainly from its large format and the conservation of areas that are currently incomplete.
It helps restore the height of the room, the tapestry panels and the continuity of the bottom of the stage. Its bold colors are not a photograph of those from 1498, but a valuable ancient interpretation.
To observe: high architecture, tapestries, feetIV · Reasoned comparison
What each image allows - and does not allow
The useful comparison does not seek “the best” Last Supper. It assigns each witness a specific function.
| Version | Date/support | What she keeps best | Main limit | Current location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original by Leonardo | 1494 -1498, wall painting on dry coating | Authentic composition, surviving material, exact relationship to the refectory | Very lacunar surface and mutilated lower area | Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan |
| Giampietrino | Around 1520, oil on canvas | Feet of Christ, glassware, dishes, table details | Trimmed canvas at the top and sides | Royal Academy of Arts, London |
| Marco d'Oggiono | Around 1506, oil on canvas | Coloring, faces, very early diffusion of the model | Simplified perspective, workshop interpretation | National Renaissance Museum, Écouen |
| Tongerlo | Early 16th century, oil on canvas | Loose format, top of the room, tapestries, lower bodies | Chromatic attribution and fidelity discussed | Tongerlo Abbey, Westerlo |
V · Read the scene
Which remains indisputable in Leonardo's invention
Even altered, the work retains most of its narrative power: an invisible word becomes a collective movement.
Four groups of three
The apostles are ordained in four units. Each group has its own rhythm, but all participate in a wave that starts from the center.
A moment of shock
Anger, doubt, fear and incomprehension are rendered by the hands, shoulders and looks more than by attributes.
Present among the others
He's no longer isolated on the other side of the table. His recoil, the purse and his arm close to the dish are enough to point to him.
Everything comes back to Christ
The orthogonal ceilings and walls converge towards the head of Jesus, the fixed point of the human storm.
VI · Place and memory
The Last Supper is also the story of a surviving building
Ancient photography reminds us that the work belongs to a religious and urban ensemble, not to a detachable museum room.
A work that remains in situ
Its original position allows us to understand the illusion of perspective, scale and dialogue with the Crucifixion by Donato Montorfano on the opposite wall.
A surface now monitored
Air quality, humidity, dust and attendance are controlled. The visit is brief and reservations are required in order to limit variations in the microclimate.
A comparison to prepare
Before Milan, look at large format copies. On site, observe less the famous” image than the scale relationships, gaps and the way in which the surviving fragments still hold together.
Reproduction and collections
Find the complete composition in an interior
A reproduction does not replace the historic wall; it allows you to find the great horizontal rhythm of the scene at eye level.
Oil painting
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
The panoramic format is suitable for long walls, dining rooms and reception areas. To avoid the vignette effect, choose a generous width and keep enough perspective to read the four groups.
Continue investigation
Explore Leonardo da Vinci
Technique, workshop, lost works and museums: four files to prolong reading.
Verified sources
Museums and reference notices
The links below lead to institutions that maintain the original or major copies.
Conservation and restoration
Technique, fragility, bombing in 1943 and construction completed in 1999.
Documented noticeCopy of Giampietrino
Illustrated sheet showing dimensions, Royal Academy origin and lost details.
Ecouen MuseumMarco d'Oggiono
Order from 1506, provenance and role in French distribution.
Tongerlo AbbeyTongerlo's copy
Presentation of the large replica preserved by the abbey since the 16th century.
Frequently asked questions
Understand everything about the original and copies
Is The Last Supper in Milan still an original work by Leonardo?
Yes. It is still on its original wall and preserves fragments of paint attributable to Leonardo. However, its very incomplete state requires us to distinguish original material, lost areas and restoration interventions.
Is the Last Supper a fresco?
Not in the strict technical sense. Leonardo worked on dry coating with an experimental method which allowed him to slowly go over the details, but which proved much less durable than the fresco on wet coating.
What is the most accurate copy?
There is no single answer. Giampietrino admirably retains the bottom of the stage; Tongerlo further restores the complete architecture; Marco d'Oggiono is a very early witness to the diffusion of the model.
Why did Christ's feet disappear?
A door was opened in the lower part of the wall in the 17th century. She removed the area under Christ, including his feet, still visible on several old copies.
Are the colors of the copies those of the original in 1498?
Not exactly. They can preserve old chromatic relationships, but each copyist uses his own material, his own lighting and his own choices. Color must be studied by convergence between several witnesses.
Where are the main old copies located?
Giampietrino's copy belongs to the Royal Academy of Arts; that of Marco d'Oggiono is exhibited at the National Renaissance Museum in Écouen; a large old version is kept at Tongerlo Abbey in Belgium.
Can we see the original Last Supper without reservation?
No. The museum imposes a reservation and limits groups as well as attendance time in the refectory to protect the microclimate of the work. Always check the official website before your visit.
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