Open    Access



Giorgio Vasari’s Last Supper: A Thanksgiving Celebration



Author(s)

Liana De Girolami Cheney

Full-Text PDF XML     831 Views

DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2016.12.003

SIEALE, University of Coruna, Spain

Among the numerous themes on the suppers cited in the Bible, the Last Supper of Christ with His twelve apostles is the most poignant and rewarding for Christianity. Florentine Renaissance depictions of the theme are numerous and varied, traditionally represented as a predella (step) panel and as an altarpiece in dining halls or sacristies of churches and convents. Vasari’s Last Supper for the Refectory of Le Murate (The Walled) in Florence is an unusual depiction of Christ’s thanksgiving. This imposing religious structure was painted for a poor Benedictine nunnery’s cenacolo (refectory) in Florence. Vasari completed two drawings for the commission in 1546. The drawings and painting reveal how Vasari drew upon the work of his predecessors to create an innovative expression of thanksgiving, betrayal, and departure. This large masterpiece was severely damaged, almost irreparably, by several mishaps and floods in 1583 and 1718 and, more recently, by the major Florentine alluvione (flood) of 1966. In commemoration of the 50th year anniversary of this last catastrophic event, Vasari’s Le Murate Last Supper was carefully and magically restored by a group of masterful technicians, artists, and scientists. Their collaboration and support from the private sector demonstrate the successful bond among art, technology, science, and patronage.

cenacolo, Last Supper, convent, Christian symbolism, betrayal, thanksgiving, Giorgio Vasari, Florentine refectories, Le Murate