Leonardo, The Last Supper, translated from the Italian, is the definitive record of the recently completed restoration of Leonardo's great masterpiece in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

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 color reproductions, a comprehensive report of the project by chief conservator 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.

"The painstaking twenty-year project, directed by renowned restoration artist Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, removed centuries of grime, as well as the brush strokes of previous restorers who have been retouching the fragile painting practically since Leonardo finished it in 1498. . . . Preserved now by a sophisticated air filtration system and reopened . . . to the public, by appointment only, the Last Supper is reborn. Brambilla told reporters her work was a 'slow, severe conquest, which, flake after flake, day after day, millimeter after millimeter, fragment after fragment, gave back a reading of the dimensions, of the expressive and chromatic intensity that we thought was lost forever.'"—The Boston Globe

Below are links to reproductions of a few of the hundreds of color plates in this book showing before, during, and after views as well as some extraordinary details. Please note two things: (1) The individual image file sizes range from 70 to over 500 kB—they make take several minutes to download on modem connections. (2) File size notwithstanding, pictures transferred electronically over the internet can do scant justice to the richness of the illustrations in this book.