Tuesday, May 2, 2023

It is the 2nd of May 2023 Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org, I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Today is the 504th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci- a character that has intrigued and beguiled historians for generations. He has been the subject of modern speculative biography and the supposed mind behind a centuries-old conspiracy- the likes that have made it down to us with those books and movies called “the Da Vinci Code.” We’ve mentioned that book before- but let me tap the sign again: the Da Vinci code is to Leonardo Da Vinci what Jurassic Park is to paleontology. Straight fiction- maybe fun, but completely disconnected from actual history. Good? Good.

Da Vinci was born in 1452 in Florence- this puts him right in the middle of the world of the DeMedici’s- perhaps the most interesting family in the Early Modern Period and the subject of the Weekend Edition from August 27th and 28th of last year.

He was born out of wedlock, but in a surprise twist, his father would keep him and raise him on his estate. His birth mother (who may have been a slave trafficked into Italy) would marry someone else and drop out of the picture. Leonardo received a standard classical education but did not apply himself to mathematics until later in life. At 15, he was made apprentice to the painter Andrea del Verrocchio. He was accepted into the Florentine painters guild but applied himself to various projects- not always finishing them (we only have 17 paintings from him- it is the outsized fame of both the Last Supper and his Mona Lisa which have made him a household name). It is also due to Giorgio Vasari’s contemporary “Lives of the Artists”- a kind of compendium of Renaissance artists that praises Leonardo as the key figure of the High Renaissance. 

In 1482 Leonardo left Florence for Milan- there, under the Duke of Milan, he was commissioned to paint and to advise on engineering projects.

It is from this period that he spent almost three years working on the Last Supper- you know, the one- all of the disciples are sitting to the left and right of Jesus as he institutes the last supper. Unfortunately, the painting is in bad shape. It was made for a dining room in a Dominican monastery in Milan- its location near a kitchen wouldn’t help on account of the moisture in the air. It was also not painted as a true fresco- the colored paint going directly onto fresh plaster. It would begin to deteriorate decades after it was first painted. Furthermore, a door was put in the dining room that cut off the bottom of the painting. During the Napoleonic wars, Napoleon used the monastery and, specifically, the dining room as a stable for animals. During WWII, Allied bombs would hit the monastery, further damaging the painting. But we have three copies made by Leonardo’s students that give us insight into some of the particulars which can no longer be seen in the original work.

Leonardo used a nail in the middle of the composition and string to lay out each figure geometrically- it is a masterwork in-depth and contour compared to similar depictions at the time. It is also the physical representations of each of the disciples marking their emotional state that has caused scholars to take note. This is a scene caught in time just after Jesus claims that one of his disciples will betray him. Among their responses is the often impetuous Peter grabbing for a sword and Judas, the real villain both grabbing his bag of money and ominously knocking the salt over. It seems the food being eaten is eel- interestingly, as this would be a Passover seder and eel is not kosher. They were a popular dish in Renaissance Italy, and despite some claims he was a vegetarian, we have receipts of his having purchased eel.

Reports of his lack of faith or interest in the things of the church are belied by not only his subject matter (and yes, he was commissioned for religious art) but also by his personal library which contained several Bibles and the works of both Augustine and Albert the great. But perhaps even more telling are his last days. Amidst the upheaval of the early Reformation, he moved to France to work in the service of King Francis I. Having possibly suffered a stroke he called to receive both communion and last rites as well as a request for a requiem mass. Leonardo Da Vinci would die on this, the 2nd of May in 1519 at the age of 67.

The last word for today- from the daily lectionary in the season of Eastertide: the benediction from Hebrews 13:

20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 2nd of May 2023 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who when asked what his last supper could be if he chose it: Macaroni and Cheese with Chili from Der wienerschnitzel… Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who reminds you that there is a disturbing cookbook of prisoners last meals called “meals to die for”- that’s dark. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.