Leonardo Da Vinci Last Supper Painting Facts
The Astrology of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Terminal Supper' Painting
with Amanuensis 0720 MICHAEL SVEHLA
Leonardo da Vinci's 'Terminal Supper' Painting – and Astrology?
The Twelve Apostles and the Zodiac Brought to Light in da Vinci'south Masterpiece
The attraction of the number twelve
Leonardo'due south Ultima Cena has intrigued and enthralled viewers for centuries. The painting will go along to be interpreted through both scholarly report and artists recreating it (Steinberg p. 14). Indeed, the analysis of the painting, and what da Vinci had in heed when he painted it, has been the subject of many books and articles, and will proceed to appoint the minds of thinkers in diverse academic disciplines. How does astrology enter the motion picture? Diverse spectators have asserted that each of the twelve apostles embody ane of the twelve zodiac signs i. If that was da Vinci'due south intent, it must ultimately be decided by the viewer, because he never mentioned or wrote whatsoever ideas of the sort, at to the lowest degree that we know of. Still, such a complicated and magnificent painting must take more behind it than meets the heart! A question such equally each apostle correlated with the signs of the zodiac in his Last Supper painting is keenly characteristic of da Vinci'south enigmatic work.
Previous popular analysis suggesting that each of the twelve disciples symbolizes one of the zodical energies, starting from the right of the painting with Aries (Simon), and ending at the left with Pisces (Bartholomew), seems incorrect. Of interest, two of the placements of apostles according to the zodiac signs in this order are correct, but past chance. A very logical and cogent grouping of the apostles is apparent upon consideration of the four groupings of three, in the painting.
The elements and modalities
The apostles are divided in many ways, at the moment of the dramatic announcement by Christ revealing an imminent expose. The most obvious is the groupings of trios, splitting the apostles into four small-scale groups. The Christ effigy has two groups of three apostles to his correct, and two groups of 3 to his left, seated more or less in order of their importance (in other words, the more prominent apostles sitting closer to Christ).
The painting contains very important clues regarding the groupings of the apostles, directly to the right and left. Thomas raises a finger in doubt, and John sullenly reflects and acts as a mirror of the Christ effigy in the painting. Thomas is typed as Virgo in the right to left zodiac scheme. But he is the twin! Thomas is Mercurial, only Gemini, not Virgo. Christ is the ultimate Piscean symbol. John reflects Christ in his demeanor and literally even his clothing. The mirror epitome of Christ in the painting, John, embodies the Pisces sign.
The key to unlocking the groupings of apostles starts with the water element: the three signs/apostles to the left of Christ. Peter is intensely rash and hot – Mars like – and he even has a stinger, his dagger! He represents the Scorpio sign. Judas, the traitor, represents the Cancer sign. He is property a bag of silver! Judas besides symbolizes the dark Moon, Cancer's ruler. Judas is the shadowy figure in the painting who does not reflect low-cal. The clandestine traitor, Judas, forms a pair with Christ in the painting. The Christ figure is the vivid Sun 2, and Judas is the dark Moon. The two have a direct, sinister connectedness, which gives boosted symbolic evidence of Judas as the apostle symbolic of Cancer.
Thus the watery signs are represented as mutable, fixed, and key, from closest to the Christ figure to the farthest, in the first grouping.
The mutable-stock-still-fundamental pattern continues to the right of Christ. Thomas, the twin three, is office of the trio of blusterous signs. Philip, stretching towards Christ while gesturing with both hands towards himself, seems rather Venusian – long hair, no beard, almost reminiscent of paintings with Venus literally in them. His actions likewise suggest balancing, characteristic of the Libra sign. James, in the center of Thomas and Philip, acts shocked, as though he can almost exist heard proverb, "Surely not!" He rounds out the thought and churr of the other two apostles symbolizing air signs. His importance and stature in the group of apostles iv is also consistent with Saturn, the classical ruler of Aquarius.
At the far right of the painting, Simon the Zealot symbolizes the Mars-ruled Aries sign well, via his reputation 5 and even his tough looking countenance. Thaddeus (Jude) literally has a flame (fire) as his symbol and he appears as oldest of the burn down trio. In the scheme of "mutable-fixed-cardinal" he is in the middle and represents the Leo sign. Matthew defaults to Sagittarius, merely a convincing link to Jupiter's sign is that he was a publican six, which demanded education and dedicated involvement with the expansive Roman empire.
The earth signs are intriguing for different reasons. James the Less, representing Taurus in the middle of the far left earthy trio, might really be Leonardo seven! Leonardo was a Taurus Sun 8 and perhaps his own likeness and persona was duplicated in his painting. Andrew appears rather shocked and nervous by Christ's announcement. As he appears, imagining that his Virgo sensibilities have been shaken up is not difficult. Bartholomew, on the outer left of the painting, seems a fleck bleak and definitely concerned. He is the Capricorn sign. The earthy trio appears somewhat muted and stable, compared to the other trios of apostles (note the active, spread out fiery trio, and the uneven heads of the trios closest to Christ. The bawdy trio is quite level and looks consistent amongst the three).
Christ effigy
With all of the talk about the apostles symbolizing the signs, what does the Christ figure symbolize? He is the Sun. He is also the ultimate symbol of the Historic period of Pisces. Using this as a basis of reference, it can be argued that all of the apostles symbolize the Age of Pisces, with each campaigner symbolizing a different dwadasama within the Pisces sign. Christ, symbolizing the Sun, and the apostles, associated with their signs' ruling planets, fits the symbolism of star divination in the Terminal Supper as well. Judas every bit the dark Moon, contrasted with Christ as the bright Sun, has already been mentioned. The apostles symbolized past Mars confront each other (from a distance) and even wait alike. The aforementioned is truthful for the apostles symbolized past Mercury, using outstretched hands and fingers, and facing i some other. The Jupiterian apostles look away from each other, and the Venus and Saturn apostles face each other.
Arguments regarding the apostles but lined upwards with the zodiac signs point in the right direction, but if da Vinci meant for each apostle to represent a particular zodiac sign, the logical manner of doing so seems apparent in his painting: the elements and modalities acquaintance each apostle with each of the twelve zodiacal signs, co-ordinate to the four trios of apostles in da Vinci's ubiquitous, quintessential painting.
Reference
Steinberg, Leo. Leonardo's Ceaseless Terminal Supper. Zone Books, May 1, 2001.
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Leonardo Da Vinci Last Supper Painting Facts
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