Practical guide
Plan without surprises
A painting made for this room
Leonardo painted the north wall of the Dominican refectory under Ludovico il Moro. The constructed perspective extends the room and directs the eye toward Christ. Look beyond the center at the twelve apostles, arranged in groups of three and connected through gesture.
Why it is not a conventional fresco
Leonardo worked on a dry wall preparation rather than completing sections rapidly on wet plaster. This allowed slow revisions and tonal effects but created a fragile surface that began deteriorating early. Controlled air and visitor numbers are now essential conservation measures.
Details to find in 15 minutes
Locate the vanishing point behind Christ’s head, the tense sequence of hands, Judas’s purse, and the three bright openings. Then turn around: Montorfano’s Crucifixion creates a deliberate dialogue between two episodes of the Passion and two painting methods.
Scale and restoration
The work measures approximately 460 by 880 centimeters and dates to 1494/1495–1498. A major conservation campaign completed in 1999 removed later overpaint and stabilized surviving original material without inventing what had been lost.