Restoration of James Major
James Major - Mural
Restoration of James Major
The condition of the mural of James Major is such that the skin tone remains relatively good. Although the detailed outline of the eyes cannot be seen, the general shading has been restored, and the characteristics of James Major's expression can be felt. His hair and beard are almost completely destroyed and can only be described as disappointing, but as far as we can see, there are a few faint drawings left at the tip of his beard, and like the other apostles, he has a beard. It seems that it was also drawn with sharp handwriting.
Drawing of James Major
A drawing of James Major remains in the Windsor Castle collection.
Leonardo created several drawings for The Last Supper.
Simon, Bartholomew, Judas, etc. are very carefully drawn sketches, and have a high level of perfection that makes them worth admiring in their own right.
However, this sketch of James Major is very roughly drawn, and it is clear that it was completed in a short amount of time. Leonardo may have been under pressure to complete the Last Supper at this time.
Also, in this pose of James Major, his arms are not spread wide, unlike in the completed Last Supper. It is highly likely that the composition of the Last Supper was different from the one we see today when Leonardo drew this sketch of James Major.
Restoration process
The depiction of James Major's clothing has completely disappeared. There are only traces of deep green drawing left on the collar.
On the other hand, the skin is quite well preserved, with a slight reddish skin tone still present. This is the part of the entire Last Supper that is in very good condition.
Reconstruction of the head of James Major.
The facial expressions and gestures of the three people surrounding James Major are particularly intense during the Last Supper, and they play an important role in influencing the impression of the Last Supper.
The depiction of James Major's hair is reproduced based on how to draw the hair of Our Lady of the Rocks and the angel.
Restoration of green clothing.
The depiction of James Major's clothing has been completely lost, so it has been reconstructed based on information from multiple reproductions.
For the chest brooch, I am referring to how to draw the chest brooch of Our Lady of the Rocks.
Restoration of both hands.
Only fragments of the hand part remain in the mural, so it is not possible to obtain enough information to reconstruct it.
There are considerable similarities in the depiction of this area in the two reproductions. There is no doubt that Leonardo's original depiction was like this as well.
Comparison of reproductions
In comparing the above two reproductions of the still life on the table, there is a difference in the position of the small plate in front of James Major. There are also subtle differences in the placement of the salt pot and orange, and even the amount of wine poured into the glass. These subtle differences will be corrected by comparing them with the traces left on the wall, and a reconstruction drawing will be drawn.
The food depicted in The Last Supper is quite simple. Just some sliced fish, bread, oranges, and wine. On the table are large plates, small plates, finger bowls, wine glasses, pitchers, and very thin-bladed knives. These depictions are very common and there is nothing particularly unusual about them, but their arrangement has an exquisite sense of balance and flair.
What I am concerned about is the position of the finger bowl, which feels unnatural as it is quite biased toward the edge of the table.
On the screen, it doesn't seem that strange because I'm used to seeing it, but in reality it's placed so far off the table that it's supposed to interfere with the bodies of the apostles who are standing or sitting on the edge of the table. It is very unnatural that such depictions are not seen.
I believe that the reason for these unnatural depictions of finger bowls is the additions by Leonardo.
I didn't like the look of the Last Supper table once it was completed, so I added one more thing later to create this finger bowl. Because they are forcibly placed in empty spaces afterwards, they create various unnatural effects.
Restoration of still life on table
The missing salt pot
Four salt jars were depicted in the Last Supper, but there are two parts of the current mural where no trace remains.
One is in front of Andrew, and the other is in front of James Majort. The fact that a salt jar was depicted in this location can be seen in several reproductions, so there is no doubt that a salt jar was depicted there. However, there are no traces of it left on the current restored walls.
The reason there are no traces of the salt pot left on the painting is probably because these depictions were added later.
http://leonardoresearch.com/ August 17 2014
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