A Multidisciplinary Study of the Tongerlo Last Supper and its Attribution to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Second Milanese Studio

Abstract

This article presents the findings from a two-year study of the Last Supper canvas in the Abbey of Tongerlo, Belgium, including a detailed review of its provenance as well as a multispectral study conducted by IMEC and IPARC. The study used a composite multidisciplinary approach, with traditional connoisseurship and literary research augmented by scientific examination, including IRR (Infrared Reflectography). The article argues that based on the available evidence, the Tongerlo Last Supper was produced in Leonardo’s Milanese workshop between 1507 and 1509, as a collaborative project involving the Leonardeschi Giampietrino, Andrea Solario, and Marco d’Oggiono under Leonardo’s supervision. Furthermore, the infrared spectography scans suggest that the face of John in the painting was painted by Leonardo himself.