Vinci, dated around c. 1495–1498.
The painting is a depiction of the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It has become one of the Western world's most recognizable paintings and among Leonardo's most celebrated works along with the Mona Lisa. The work was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. In order to permit his inconsistent painting schedule and frequent revisions, it is painted with materials that allowed for regular alterations: tempera on gesso, pitch, and mastic. However because of these materials and the methods used, a variety of environmental factors, and intentional damage, little of the original painting remains today despite numerous restoration attempts. Housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, The Last Supper is his Leonardo's largest work with human fugures. For more of Leonardo's work, and other Italian Renaissance fine art, see the SalvageScapes collection RENAISSANCE ERA