Overview
Duke Ludovico Sforza commissioned the mural for the dining hall of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Leonardo painted it between 1495 and 1498, choosing the moment when Jesus tells the Twelve that one of them will betray him.
Description
The apostles react in agitated groups of three around a calm central Christ, and the room’s painted perspective converges on his head. Instead of true fresco, Leonardo painted on the dry wall with a tempera-based technique — which allowed his slow, revising method but doomed the surface to early decay.
History and legacy
The paint began deteriorating within decades, and the mural survived centuries of botched repairs and the 1943 bombing that destroyed the refectory’s roof. A 21-year restoration completed in 1999 removed earlier overpainting, and viewing is now limited to small timed groups.