ALL U NEED ABOUT DAVINCI CODE: Overview of Facts and Fiction

In The Da Vinci Code, Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper is laden with clues that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and that she is the real Holy Grail. Read on to learn more about this famous painting and its possible hidden meanings.

In Chapter 58 of The Da Vinci Code, Leigh Teabing and Robert Langdon show a shocked Sophie Neveu the hidden meaning of The Last Supper.

In The Da Vinci Code

The Last Supper shows 13 cups but no chalice: therefore, "oddly, Da Vinci appears to have forgotten to paint the Cup of Christ."
The person seated next to Christ in Leonardo's Last Supper is clearly a woman. This is based on the figure's "flowing red hair, delicate folded hands and the hint of a bosom."
The Last Supper was thoroughly restored in 1954, revealing more details.
The positioning of Christ and "Mary" in The Last Supper purposely form a 'V' (representing the chalice or womb) and an 'M' (for Mary).

In Reality

This is not all that strange - other depictions of the Last Supper have shown each disciple with a cup rather than the traditional "chalice."
Art historians disagree. They say it is John the Evangelist, who was "the beloved disciple" and often portrayed with feminine features.
The painting was recently restored, but Brown's dates aren't quite right. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "not until the most modern restoration techniques were applied after World War II was the process of decay halted. A major restoration campaign begun in 1980 and completed in 1999 restored the work to brilliance but also revealed that very little of the original paint remains."
Neither provable nor disprovable - 'M's and 'V's are easy to find in many paintings. The positioning of the figures in the painting are more about dramatic movement and aesthetic composition: the characters are grouped into threes.

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