Leonardi Da Vinci
1495-1498
Appropriately located in the refectory, or eating area, of the Santa Maria Delle Grazie monastary, in Milan Italy.
Symbolism and Speculations
The holy trinity is depicted by grouping all the apostles in groups of three.
To accentuate the holiness of Christ, he is placed at the vanishing point in the painting and is framed by the window with a circular arc above it similar to that of a halo being placed over his head.
It can be perceived that Judas is blocked from the this holy light coming in from the window as he recoils and is thus shaded in a darker color than the rest of the apostles. He is also holding the bag of silver he was given by the Roman soldiers.
To his right Petrus is holding a knife, a prefigure to him cutting a soldier's ear later on, and which is also pointed towards Bartholomew at the end of the table, perhaps in anticipation of the latter's martyrdom by flaying
Although it is unlikely given the location of the piece, it is also speculated that the person to the left of Christ is in fact Mary Magdalene and not John.
This suggestion is accentuated when looking at the two triangles that are created by Christ's body and the space between the two figures.The upward pointing triangle represents man or the phallus, while a downward facing triangle represents woman. Which was also referred to as the grail in Robert Langdon's The Da Vinci Code. This dynamic is also seen by the clothes they are wearing which are the same color but in reverse.
The last bit of speculation surrounding the painting would be the idea that Da Vinci used his own face for the apostle Thomas. Thomas is also pointing his finger upwards, a gesture which Leonardo's contemporaries viewed as a da Vinci trademark.
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