Leonardo's Last Supper, one of the most important works of the Renaissance if not all of Western art, was painted between 1494 and 1498 in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. From the moment that the prior at the monastery complained to Leonardo that the work was taking too long, the Last Supper has endured centuries of controversy, neglect, and difficulty. Leonardo, The Last Supper, translated from the Italian, is the definitive document of the recently completed project to reverse these centuries of decline by restoring the painting and preserving it in a manner that generations of conservators have failed to do. The technical problems with the Last Supper began as soon as Leonardo started to paint it. He jettisoned the traditional fresco technique of applying paint to wet plaster, a method unsuited to Leonardo's slow and thorough execution, and created the work instead with an experimental technique that involved painting directly on the dry plaster. With this renegade method, Leonardo rendered one of the most enduring painting techniques volatile and unstable. Added to this initial complication have been centuries of pollution, tourists, candle smoke, and the ravages of age, not to mention food fights in the refectory staged by Napoleonic soldiers and Allied bombs in 1943. By the middle of the twentieth century, the Last Supper was in desperate need of a complete restoration. Pinin Brambilla Barcilon was chosen to head this twenty-year project, and Leonardo, The Last Supper is the official record of her remarkable effort. It first documents the cleaning and removal of the overpainting performed in the other attempts at restoration and then turns to Barcilon's meticulous additions in watercolor, which were based on Leonardo's preparatory drawings, early copies of the painting, and contemporary textual descriptions. This book presents full-scale reproductions of details from the fresco that clearly display and distinguish Leonardo's hand from that of the restorer. With nearly 400 sumptuous color reproductions, the most comprehensive technical documentation of the project by Barcilon, and an introductory essay by art historian and project codirector Pietro C. Marani that focuses on the history of the fresco, Leonardo, The Last Supper is an invaluable historic record, an extraordinarily handsome book, and an essential volume for anyone who appreciates the beauty, technical achievements, and fate of Renaissance painting.

Leonardo: The Last Supper

Arts & Photography

Marani, Pietro C.

Barcilon, Pinin Brambilla

History & Criticism

University of Chicago Press

This magisterial work-the most exquisite and luxuriously produced art monograph of the season-will immediately be recognized as the seminal volume on the paintings of the great Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. Not only does the quality of the reproductions far surpass those in previous books, but every one of Leonardo's magnificent paintings is included, along with preparatory drawings and studies for his most famous works, and a text by one of the world's leading experts on Leonardo. 
Such beloved masterpieces as the Mona Lisa, The Madonna of the Rocks, and The Annunciation are all freshly photographed and showcased in greater detail than ever before. The newly restored Last Supper, lavishly reproduced as a full-color double gatefold, is seen here in all its richness of detail and tone. Scholar Pietro Marani explores Leonardo's fertile and original intellect and his astounding capacity for imbuing the human figure with emotion and sublime beauty and grace. Here, then, is a glorious art book that will be a gift to treasure for a lifetime. 
PIETRO C. MARANI is one of the world's foremost scholars on Leonardo da Vinci and author of more than 30 volumes and numerous essays and articles on the artist and his period. He is former vice-director of the Brera Museum in Milan, and a co-director of the recent restoration of Leonardo's Last Supper. He is now professor of modern art at the Politecnico di Milano. 
295 illustrations, 200 in full color, 2 double gatefolds in full color, 11 x 13"

Leonardo Da Vinci the Complete Paintings

Abrams, N

An in-depth volume on the complete painted works of the renowned Renaissance master showcases each of his paintings, including the Mona Lisa, The Madonna of the Rocks, The Annunciation, and the newly restored Last Supper, complemented by an examination of the artist's intellect.

Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings

Harry N. Abrams

The most comprehensive book on the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, with hundreds of illustrations This classic volume on Leonardo's paintings captures the magical qualities that make him one of the most beloved painters in the history of art. Pietro Marani's definitive text is accompanied by hundreds of reference images that immerse the reader in Leonardo's world and studio. Every known painting is discussed in depth, and enlarged details reveal aspects invisible to the naked eye, down to the artist's fingerprints. This new edition includes three newly attributed works, including the Salvator Mundi, whose discovery and sale in 2016 made international news, while color plates have been refreshed throughout, especially of paintings that have been restored or cleaned since the first edition of the book was published in 2000.

Leonardo da Vinci: Complete Paintings (Revised)

The first official guide to Italy's first public museum, the Milan home of famous paintings by Bellini, Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Tintoretto, and Veronese. 
For the first time ever, this book combines detailed information about each artwork and hundreds of color reproductions with a guide, leading the reader room by room and wall by wall through the glorious riches of the Brera's permanent collection. To help with even the quickest visit, the guide notes the most important paintings in the collection. The account describes each work of art, including its symbolism and cultural references, and critical commentary about it. Also featured is an introduction by museum director Luisa Arrigoni about the history of the Pinacoteca di Brera (Italy's first museum for the people), a glossary, and a bibliography. 
450 full-color illustrations

The Brera Gallery: The Official Guide (Heritage Guides)

Arrigoni, Luisa

Daffra, Emanuela

Rrigoni, Luisa

Marani, C.

Touring Club Italiano

Leonardo's Last Supper (Artistic guides)

Electa

Bella quanto l'originale stesso. La copia del Cenacolo della Royal Academy di Londra. Vicende, Fortuna, Attribuzione

LoGisma

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