Chic Destinations

The Legend of Leonardo

On the north wall of the refectory of the Dominican church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan is one of the art world’s greatest treasures: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The church, crowned by a great cupola and with a striking brickwork and terracotta exterior, is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Lombardy. But it is the painting within its sacred walls that most visitors come to see.

The famous painting depicts a Cenacolo, a scene of Christ and the Twelve Apostles at the Last Supper, which was a popular subject during the Renaissance. But when Da Vinci unveiled his Cenacolo, it was immediately acclaimed as the greatest of them all. His masterful use of perspective and light add great drama to his painting, which focuses on the moment immediately after Christ, depicted in the centre, said ‘one of you will betray me’. The reactions of the Apostles can clearly be seen; their expressions of disbelief and dismay magnificently captured.

It took Da Vinci three years to paint the Last Supper, between 1495 and 1497, and it is now as instantly recognisable as another of his masterpieces, the Mona Lisa, which hangs in the Louvre. He spent much of those three years searching the streets of Milan for suitable models for Christ and Judas – at one point threatening to cast the Prior of the church as Judas. Sadly, da Vinci chose to paint the Last Supper in tempera rather than oil, and it had begun to deteriorate within his own lifetime, affected by damp and mould in the church. It has been repainted and restored on numerous occasions over the past five centuries in attempts to preserve it, and that has further contributed to its fame – it is the most recognisable and copied religious work of all time. The most recent restoration project, completed in the 1990s, took five times as long as it took to paint in the first place.

The Last Supper was for a long time regarded as a ‘lost’ painting and had become so dark within a few hundred years of its creation that a doorway was cut into its centre. It also survived floods and bombardment during the Second World War, during which the church took a direct hit from one bomb, however strategically placed sandbags and mattresses protected the painting.

This all adds to the legend of a painting commissioned by the Duke Ludovico Sforza, for whom Leonardo worked as a court artist for many years. Da Vinci arrived in Milan from Medici-ruled Florence, where the sculptor-painter Andrea del Verrocchio had trained him, and he later worked in Bologna, Venice and Rome. But Milan remains the city with which he is most closely associated.

He lived and worked there from 1482 until 1499 and it was during this time that he painted three of his masterpieces: The Last Supper and two versions of the mystery-laden Virgin of the Rocks, one is exhibited in the National Gallery in London and the other is usually in the Louvre – but both are currently being shown together as part of a major new exhibition at the National Gallery, Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan. One of the exhibits is a near contemporary – a full-scale copy of The Last Supper by Leonardo’s pupil Giampietrino, lent by the Royal Academy. But to see the original you’ll need to go to Milan and enter the red brick church in whose refectory it was painted more than five centuries ago.

The Last Supper is a hugely popular attraction and seeing it normally involves booking well in advance. However, Fidenza Village, near Milan, is offering the opportunity to see the painting as part of a combined Fidenza Village City Tour and Shopping Experience. A morning sightseeing tour of the city takes in attractions such as the Scala Theatre and Sforza Castle, as well The Last Supper, before transferring via the Shopping Express to Fidenza Village for an afternoon of shopping, with possible savings of up to 30 per cent on certain brands. The tour takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays and is priced at €70 per person. To take advantage of this exclusive offer click here.

Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is on display at the National Gallery in London until 5 February 2012. Tickets are priced £16 for adults, £14 for senior citizens and £8 for students.

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