It survived the war under sandbags although the church was mostly destroyed. It is now protected in a controlled atmosphere into which only 15 visitors are admitted at a time through airlocks where the outside atmosphere is purified.

The painting was to be an extension of the scene within the refectory so the wall continue the perspective seen from the opposite wall. There is a door beneath the painting so that Christ's feet and the bottom edge of the cloth are not visible in the painting. At the other end of the refectory is a depiction of the crucifixion, painted by antoehr artist at the same time. By comparing the two, one can see very clearly the talent of Da Vinci in painting real people.

This is not a religious painting -- it merely reproduces the legend of the last supper of a group of activists.

There are many reproductions of The Last Supper. The thumbnail entry to this site and the two shown here are all reproductions.

The first, prepared for commercial sale is a good reproduction of the painting before it was cleaned between 1978 and 1999. Now the original paint has been uncovered and the painting is bright and vibrant though there are some areas without paint on the plaster.

The second painting below is contained in the exhibition of Da Vinci's mechanical inventions. It differs by its elaborate surround and otuside scenery. It also differs by the fact that Christ's has been placed in front of an internal pillar, and a halo has been added. The painter has tried to turn Da Vinci's depiction of the legend of the last supper into a religious icon.

Other reproductions even misplace the disciples -- one for example rearranged them so that there was no person between Hudas Iscariot and Juses Christ. Judas is the white bearded person two figures to the left of Christ. He is said to be painted in the likeness of the impatient client who had commissioned the painting.