1. “Treatise on painting” Leonardo da Vinci, translated to Polish by M. Rzepinska (1961, 1984).

2. mural on the wall of the Santa Maria delle Grazie refectory in Milan, painted in (1494-1498) …or much longer period, reaching even 16 years, as J.W. Goethe claimed.

3. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) working out rich research material left by Joseph (Giuseppe) Bossi, published his observations in “Kunst und Altertum” in 1817. Goethe – the poet, the director of Weimar theatre, finally civil servant with the flair for researching – knew well works of Leonardo what proves apart from the correspondence to his secretary J.P. Eckermann, also his own, scientific work. 

4. Joseph Bossi (über Leonard da Vinci Abendmahl zu Mayland) Grosfolio 264 Seiten 1810. Thanks to his pioneering work (“Del Cenacolo di Leonardo da Vinci”1810, “Del Tipo dell arte della pittura”1816, “Delle Opinioni di Leonardo intorno alla simmetria de corpi umani”1811), recognised specialist in studying works of Leonardo, particularly completely ruined and repeatedly repainted the “Last Supper”. He studied painting in Milan. Some time stayed in Weimar, where a reactivation and management of the local academy of fine arts was entrusted to him. Then also, Karol August Prince of Weimar brought from his travel to Lombardy three replicas of the “Last Supper”, helpful how he thought in reconstructing the whole mural in the form of mosaic in the 1 : 1 scale according to collected replicas ( completed later by somebody else and presented in the Vienna gallery). Before 1802 spent six years in Rome, then he is travelling to France where he meets J.L. David, (also A. Canova was his friend). Died in December 1816.

5. Enlarging a door opening by monks, disturbed binding the plaster with the wall and fragments with the painting dropped out, then were fixed with nails (!).In this way the bottom part of the blade of the mural was irretrievably lost (at first, the entrance to the refectory was put in the side wall). 

6. …or how the author of the last conservation works – Pinin Brambilla Barcilon is convincing – instead of oil, with technique of tempera. To such conclusions came in 1903 Luigi Cavenaghi claiming, that oil layers it is what remained after the Michelangello Bellotti and Giuseppe Mazza works (both in the 18th c.).

7. Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) Italian painter, architect, sculptor, historiographer of the art, the author “Le vite de’ piu eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori ” translated to Polish by K. Estreicher(1980).

8. also a Venetian – Bellotto called Canaletto (born in 1721), author of paintings, the part of which is possible to admire in Warsaw – happily, then was still a child.

9. If also to assume, that Leonardo while referred to the painting of Botticelli – Apelles (the second one known only for written sources) in his “Paragone”, didn’t know yet the final version of Botticelli’s “Slander”, finished according to such a thesis not earlier than in the year of Savonarola’s death – 1498 – consistently a moment of arising this materials to the “Treatise on painting” (written with intervals since 1489) would gain the more certain place before crucial, how it seems date. From elsewhere it is known, that friend of Leonardo, Luca Pacioli, in the same year in his work “De divina proporzione” is even telling about finished by Leonardo, books about the painting and the human movements (issued in Venice, in 1509). 

10. …science, but let us add – completely different from the experimental researches of Leonardo, resisting the reasoning of “ex suppositione” with hypothetical conclusions, although, in St. Thomas’s times already existed distinguishing between: to get to know by light of the faith (lumen fidei) and with natural cognition (lumen naturale).

11. Leonardo painted his St Hieronymus c. 1481, for a short before arriving in Milan.

12. Before 1503, through a few months (not quite year), in service for Cesare Borgia, with his knowledge as the engineer of the defensive fortifications. Bit earlier he had just made Venice similar offer. In the same time interested in a matter of a design for a bridge swung through Constantinople and the coast of Anatolia (?), a Pera area – part of Constantinople is being taken into consideration. The idea exists only in the form of the sketch (the L. Manuscript, Paris, Louvre), also exists Turkish document concerning his correspondence with the Sultan Bajazid the 2nd, found in 1952 at Topkapi Seraji archives in Stamboul, of which arise both Franz Babinger and Ludwig H. Heydenreich in accordance date for c.1502 – 1503 year.

13. Research from field comparative papyrology led in the nineties of the last century by scientists from Oxford Uniwersity. 

14. From the second part of the statement of the Christ we can conclude for about bigger (than “twelve”) number of those present in there. Possible, that beside Twelve there was also Mark Evangelist – the witness and the observer, Paul’s more late companion in beginnings of his missionary work. Compare Evang. St Mark (14.50 – 52) and note to this excerpt (the Millennium Bible).

15. More precisely – resigned from traditional presenting the “Last Supper”, but not of tradition, since only a gesture of Leonardo’s Thomas (raised hand with the pointing finger stretched out) has at least two meanings. The second is underlying deep in Hellenistic – Roman times, and is informing us about taking place in here, according to my opinion – for the right side of the table, debate. The motive for philosophical debate assumed by the medieval Christian art accompanied representations of the Christ together with disciples, and is well-known in the iconography as the type MAIESTAS DOMINI with images of apostles – as Christian philosophers, so not a place here to brandishing the knife and not a time on nonsensical stories, whether putting into their mouth only shouts. 

16. Pioneer of the computer art graphics. Her works are in New York Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Paris Centre Georges Pompidu. Former AT&T consultant of computer graphics Bell Labs.

17. …just this idea of the illusion Leonardo made, permits to put off the issue often brought up, and concerning an understanding the Latin: discumbebat (Vulgate), in the Greek text: anékeito, as “seated himself” instead of “lay down” as suggested, that the Jesus and apostles during the Last Supper (according to contemporary custom) lay by the table on sofas resting their left hands on pillows.

18. fig. with red chalk 33,3 x 21,4cm; Turin, Biblioteca Reale .

19. at present in the collection of the Windsor Castle Library, together with other sketches of apostles; 19,3×14,8 cm

20. a few years earlier at work of the restoration of the altar I tried intentionally, albeit unofficially, to give traits of St Mark Evangelist taken from Leonardo’s features (in the painting done by the way there – il.19) That’s since when interested me more close, both portraits (self-portraits) not fitting each other. As regards the painting, it didn’t hit in place ended up with time in one of Cracow churches (on Paschal Triduum A.D.2000).

21. red chalk on red paper; 18 x 15 cm. 

22. L. Staff (Leonardo da Vinci “Selected writings”)Warsaw 1958.
(Leonardo da Vinci “Treatise on painting”), Rzepinska Wroclaw 1961.

23. the most ruinous for Italian cities – states, was piled up in layers from centuries, conflict between adherents of the Papacy and the Empire – two biggest powers of contemporary world, with which then, after year 1453 (Constantinople fall) new danger started threatening – Turkish power. France just sought its ally in it.

24. “The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy”(1987) the translation, Siewierski (1991); “Culture and Society in Renaissance Italy, 1420 – 1540” (1972, 1974).

25. Famous Leonardo’s “sfumato” here is attaining its apogee making the unattainable pattern in long, reaching times of Apollodoros from the Athens (V c. BC) history of chiaroscuro in the painting.

26. Died in 1658, the secretary of the cardinal F. Barberini as the art devotee, the author of interesting remarks about leonardianas in Fontainebleau.

27. Beatrice – Lodovico’s wife, died in the confinement in 1497r.

28. C. Luporini – “Thought of Leonardo” Warsaw (1962)