The Last Supper specifically portrays the
reaction given by each apostle when Jesus
said one of them would betray him. All twelve
apostles have different reactions to the news,
with various degrees of anger and shock. The
apostles are identified from a manuscript
(The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci p. 232)
with their names found in the 19th century.
(Before this, only Judas, Peter, John and
Jesus were positively identified.) From left to
right, according to the apostles' heads:
--Bartholomew , James, son of Alphaeus and
Andrew form a group of three, all are
surprised.
--Judas Iscariot , Peter and John form
another group of three. Judas is wearing
green and blue and is in shadow, looking
rather withdrawn and taken aback by the
sudden revelation of his plan. He is
clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying
the silver given to him as payment to betray
--Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role
within the 12 disciples as treasurer. He
is also tipping over the salt cellar. This may
be related to the near-Eastern expression to
"betray the salt" meaning to betray one's
Master. He is the only person to have his
elbow on the table and his head is also
horizontally the lowest of anyone in the
painting. Peter looks angry and is holding a
knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps
foreshadowing his violent reaction in
Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest. The
youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
--Apostle Thomas , James the Greater and
Philip are the next group of three. Thomas
is clearly upset; the raised index finger
foreshadows his Incredulity of the
Resurrection. James the Greater looks
stunned, with his arms in the air.
Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting
some explanation.
--Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon the
Zealot are the final group of three. Both
Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned
toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has
any answer to their initial questions.

In common with other depictions of The Last
Supper from this period, Leonardo seats the
diners on one side of the table, so that none
of them has his back to the viewer. Most
previous depictions excluded Judas by placing
him alone on the opposite side of the table
from the other eleven disciples and Jesus or
placing halos around all the disciples except
Judas. Leonardo instead has Judas lean back
into shadow. Jesus is predicting that his
betrayer will take the bread at the same time
he does to Saints Thomas and James to his
left, who react in horror as Jesus points with
his left hand to a piece of bread before them.
Distracted by the conversation between John
and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece
of bread not noticing Jesus too stretching out
with his right hand towards it (Matthew 26:
23). The angles and lighting draw attention to
Jesus, whose head is located at the vanishing
point for all perspective lines.
The painting contains several references to the
number 3, which represents the Christian belief
in the Holy Trinity. The Apostles are seated in
groupings of three; there are three windows
behind Jesus; and the shape of Jesus' figure
resembles a triangle. There may have been
other references that have since been lost as
the painting deteriorated.


---- The Last Supper has also been the target of
much speculation by writers and historical
revisionists alike, usually centered on
purported hidden messages or hints found
within the painting.
Some have identified the person to Jesus'
right (left of Jesus from the viewer's
perspective), not as John the Apostle, but a
woman, often purported to be Mary
Magdalene. This speculation was the topic of
the book The Templar Revelation (1997) by
Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, and plays a
central role in Dan Brown 's fiction novel The
Da Vinci Code (2003).
There have also been other popular
speculations about the work. It has been
suggested that there is no cup in the painting,
yet Jesus' left hand is pointing to the
Eucharist and his right to a glass of wine.
(There are several glasses on the table, but
they are difficult to see owing to the work's
deterioration and restorations.) This is not the
glorified chalice of legend as Leonardo
insisted on realistic paintings. To add realism,
Leonardo copied the style of the plates,
glasses, utensils and the table cloth from the
Dominican friars' refectory.
Giovanni Maria Pala, an Italian musician, has
indicated that the positions of hands and
loaves of bread can be interpreted as notes on
a musical staff, and if read from right to left,
as was characteristic of Leonardo's writing,
form a musical composition.
Sabrina Sforza Galitzia, a Vatican researcher,
claimed to have deciphered the "mathematical
and astrological" puzzle in Leonardo's The
Last Supper. She said that he foresaw the end
of the world in a "universal flood" which would
begin on March 21, 4006, and end on
November 1 the same year. She believed that
this would mark "a new start for humanity".

Really deep.......

rexkexmilan:
The Last Supper specifically portrays the
reaction given by each apostle when Jesus
said one of them would betray him. All twelve
apostles have different reactions to the news,
with various degrees of anger and shock. The
apostles are identified from a manuscript
(The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci p. 232)
with their names found in the 19th century.
(Before this, only Judas, Peter, John and
Jesus were positively identified.) From left to
right, according to the apostles' heads:
--Bartholomew , James, son of Alphaeus and
Andrew form a group of three, all are
surprised.
--Judas Iscariot , Peter and John form
another group of three. Judas is wearing
green and blue and is in shadow, looking
rather withdrawn and taken aback by the
sudden revelation of his plan. He is
clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying
the silver given to him as payment to betray
--Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role
within the 12 disciples as treasurer. He
is also tipping over the salt cellar. This may
be related to the near-Eastern expression to
"betray the salt" meaning to betray one's
Master. He is the only person to have his
elbow on the table and his head is also
horizontally the lowest of anyone in the
painting. Peter looks angry and is holding a
knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps
foreshadowing his violent reaction in
Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest. The
youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
--Apostle Thomas , James the Greater and
Philip are the next group of three. Thomas
is clearly upset; the raised index finger
foreshadows his Incredulity of the
Resurrection. James the Greater looks
stunned, with his arms in the air.
Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting
some explanation.
--Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon the
Zealot are the final group of three. Both
Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned
toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has
any answer to their initial questions.

In common with other depictions of The Last
Supper from this period, Leonardo seats the
diners on one side of the table, so that none
of them has his back to the viewer. Most
previous depictions excluded Judas by placing
him alone on the opposite side of the table
from the other eleven disciples and Jesus or
placing halos around all the disciples except
Judas. Leonardo instead has Judas lean back
into shadow. Jesus is predicting that his
betrayer will take the bread at the same time
he does to Saints Thomas and James to his
left, who react in horror as Jesus points with
his left hand to a piece of bread before them.
Distracted by the conversation between John
and Peter, Judas reaches for a different piece
of bread not noticing Jesus too stretching out
with his right hand towards it (Matthew 26:
23). The angles and lighting draw attention to
Jesus, whose head is located at the vanishing
point for all perspective lines.
The painting contains several references to the
number 3, which represents the Christian belief
in the Holy Trinity. The Apostles are seated in
groupings of three; there are three windows
behind Jesus; and the shape of Jesus' figure
resembles a triangle. There may have been
other references that have since been lost as
the painting deteriorated.


---- The Last Supper has also been the target of
much speculation by writers and historical
revisionists alike, usually centered on
purported hidden messages or hints found
within the painting.
Some have identified the person to Jesus'
right (left of Jesus from the viewer's
perspective), not as John the Apostle, but a
woman, often purported to be Mary
Magdalene. This speculation was the topic of
the book The Templar Revelation (1997) by
Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, and plays a
central role in Dan Brown 's fiction novel The
Da Vinci Code (2003).
There have also been other popular
speculations about the work. It has been
suggested that there is no cup in the painting,
yet Jesus' left hand is pointing to the
Eucharist and his right to a glass of wine.
(There are several glasses on the table, but
they are difficult to see owing to the work's
deterioration and restorations.) This is not the
glorified chalice of legend as Leonardo
insisted on realistic paintings. To add realism,
Leonardo copied the style of the plates,
glasses, utensils and the table cloth from the
Dominican friars' refectory.
Giovanni Maria Pala, an Italian musician, has
indicated that the positions of hands and
loaves of bread can be interpreted as notes on
a musical staff, and if read from right to left,
as was characteristic of Leonardo's writing,
form a musical composition.
Sabrina Sforza Galitzia, a Vatican researcher,
claimed to have deciphered the "mathematical
and astrological" puzzle in Leonardo's The
Last Supper. She said that he foresaw the end
of the world in a "universal flood" which would
begin on March 21, 4006, and end on
November 1 the same year. She believed that
this would mark "a new start for humanity".

Da vinci was a genuis no doubt,but i wouldnt take this paintings by him of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper too religiously because it was just an exploration of his artistic ingenuity and imagination.He was born hundreds of years after the actual event,how the hell would he have known who sat where?Some people even interpreted the Paintings to mean Mary Magdalene was sitting on his right as his wife,like seriously?
Like i said the painting was an exploration of his artistic ingenuity and imagination,nothing more. i respect the painting as a good work of art,not as an historical fact.

Greatzeus:

Da vinci was a genuis no doubt,but i wouldnt take this paintings by him of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper too religiously because it was just an exploration of his artistic ingenuity and imagination.He was born hundreds of years after the actual event,how the hell would he have known who sat where?Some people even interpreted the Paintings to mean Mary Magdalene was sitting on his right as his wife,like seriously?
Like i said the painting was an exploration of his artistic ingenuity and imagination,nothing more. i respect the painting as a good work of art,not as an historical fact.

I share your view.
Da vinci is dubious. If he could fake the shroud of Turin, he must have hidden some unorthodoxical messages in that painting.