<P> The painting was commissioned by Sforza to be the centerpiece of the mausoleum . The lunettes above the main painting, formed by the triple arched ceiling of the refectory, are painted with Sforza coats - of - arms . </P> <P> The opposite wall of the refectory is covered by the Crucifixion fresco by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano, to which Leonardo added figures of the Sforza family in tempera . (These figures have deteriorated in much the same way as has The Last Supper .) </P> <P> Leonardo began work on The Last Supper in 1495 and completed it in 1498--he did not work on the painting continuously . The beginning date is not certain, as the archives of the convent for the period have been destroyed, and a document dated 1497 indicates that the painting was nearly completed at that date . </P> <P> One story goes that a prior from the monastery complained to Leonardo about the delay, enraging him . He wrote to the head of the monastery, explaining he had been struggling to find the perfect villainous face for Judas, and that if he could not find a face corresponding with what he had in mind, he would use the features of the prior who complained . </P>

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