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Leonardo and the Last Supper
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Description
Bloomsbury presents Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King, read by Mark Meadows
In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci began what would become one of history's most influential works of art-The Last Supper. After a decade at the court of Lodovico Sforza, the duke of Milan, Leonardo was at a low point: at forty-three, he had failed, despite a number of prestigious commissions, to complete anything that truly fulfilled his astonishing promise. His latest failure was a giant bronze horse to honor Sforza's father, made with material expropriated by the military. The commission to paint The Last Supper was a small compensation, and his odds of completing it weren't promising: he hadn't worked on such a large painting and had no experience in the standard mural medium of fresco.
Amid war and the political and religious turmoil around him, and beset by his own insecurities and frustrations, Leonardo created the masterpiece that would forever define him. Ross King unveils dozens of stories that are embedded in the painting, and overturns many of the myths surrounding it. Bringing to life a fascinating period in European history, he presents an original portrait of one of history's greatest geniuses through the lens of his most famous work.
Product details
| Published | 05 Aug 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Audiobook |
| Duration | 11 hours and 56 minutes |
| ISBN | 9781639738052 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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[A] richly entertaining tale of how Leonardo came to paint The Last Supper. King, who had previously written acclaimed accounts of Brunelleschi's Florentine dome and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, has an infectious relish for the gaudy, brutal and brilliant world of the Italian Renaissance
Mail on Sunday
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The story of Leonardo's creation of the work has now found an ideal chronicler in Ross King ... King has the gift of clear, unpretentious exposition, and an instinctive narrative flair
Guardian
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Extraordinary
Must Reads, Sunday Times
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A gripping account ... Fascinating
New York Times
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A thrilling account of the mercurial Leonardo and the making of his most puzzling masterpiece ... A perfectly controlled, seriously documented story that you really want to read
Scotsman
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Absorbing ... A truly immersive portrait of an era
Daily Telegraph




















