In 2001, art historian Zalman Lev (“Leo”) Steinberg published “Leonardo’s Incessant Last Supper,” an astute re-examination of the most famous of Renaissance frescoes, in which he discussed the forewarning of betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot and the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Funeral services for Steinberg, one of the world’s finest art critics, were held at 12:45 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011, at the Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th St. at Amsterdam Ave., 4th fl., New York.
Fortunately for me, I had an opportunity to correspond with Steinberg just prior to his death on March 13, 2011. We had in mind to meet in April of 2011 when I would have been in Manhattan for a Board Meeting.
As we were making plans, Steinberg let me know that he kept a peculiar schedule, meaning that he was awake all night, every night, and slept during the daytime.
That seemed fine with me because I was obligated to attend day meetings, so a night get together would have fit.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a thesis of mine that in DaVinci’s “Last Supper,” the figure to Jesus’ left was a woman, likely Mary of Bethany.
In reading his material, it was apparent to me that he was not interested in criticism per se or straightforward analysis of a work, but why an artist had decided on the work in the first place.
This is probably why he was willing to talk about my thesis and share his thoughts.
Until Dan Brown wrote the 2003 award-winning mystery thriller “The Da Vinci Code,” John the Apostle was presumed to be the figure sitting next to Jesus in Da Vinci’s portrayal of the Jewish seder on the evening before the start of Passover.
Based on considerable research, Brown has suggested that the person in question is Mary Magdalene. There is a convincing argument, however, in favor of Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.
But the question is, whether Mary Magdalene or Mary of Bethany, would Leonardo Da Vinci have been disposed to alter the centuries-old traditional view?
In answer, the artist Da Vinci was rebellious, expertly fastidious, a polymath, and the epitome of the European Renaissance.
Steinberg knew well the depth of precision and degree of attention to detail which Da Vinci invested in his depiction of each of the thirteen figures, Jesus Christ and the presumed twelve apostles, in his “Il Cenacolo or L’Ultima Cena,” beginning in the year 1495 or 1496.
Since Da Vinci’s completion of the seder fresco in 1498, art historians, as well as his 16th century biographer Giorgio Vasari, have identified and marveled at the infinitesimal detail of every element rendered.
Inevitably, one’s gaze halts at the figure seated next to Christ on his right. For generations, the tradition has been that the figure is that of the Apostle John, loyal and faithful attendant of Jesus.
The basis for my hesitation, however, rests in the apparent femininity of the character, a contradiction to the image of John as a young and robust bodyguard of Christ’s Mother Mary.
Moreover, we must remember that the dinner is a seder, the special meal to commemorate the imminent start of Passover when Moses had led the Jewish people out of captivity in Egypt.
As such, women and children were included as participants. So, there would have been nothing unusual about a woman sitting at the table with Jesus and his companions.
The woman whom Da Vinci selected, however, would have to have been exceptionally important to Jesus and crucial to what was about to happen.
While the anecdote concerning the prostitute Mary Magdalene is deeply moving, the compassion and forgiveness which Jesus shared with her was a part of his communion with everyone whom he helped, all children of God.
On the other hand, Mary of Bethany was gifted with an intellectuality and a capacity to learn, a “beruryah,” and more importantly, she possessed the wisdom, compassion, and chastity needed to promulgate the New Covenant of Jesus Christ to the many women who were followers and their children, in a way different from what the Apostles could do.
According to Hebrew tradition, Rabbi Hillel the Elder, born in Babylonia ca. 110 B.C. and developer of the “Mishnah,” as well as the “ethic of reciprocity,” had acknowledged the occasional provision for women in prophecy and teaching.
The artist and humanist Da Vinci could well have known this. The Milan of his day was a thriving and sophisticated center of arts and learning, with a prominent Jewish community.
For the founders of the early Christian satellite communities throughout the ancient Mediterranean, there were compelling political, social, and financial components involved in fostering a period of expansion to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Although the Catholic Church’s recognition of the role of women in promulgating tenets and rituals tended toward the exclusionary patriarchal system of the Roman Empire, the traditional Old Testament custom favored the religious inclusion of women.
Also, according to the New Testament tradition, Mary of Bethany witnessed the death and the miraculous recovery of her brother Lazarus, giving her an indispensable first-hand experience of the power of Jesus.
Mary of Bethany anointed the feet and hands of Jesus prior to the start of Passover, using spikenard oil, very precious and expensive.
The anointing with spikenard was invaluable in protecting the body of Jesus through the tortures and five wounds of the crucifixion, since it had been known for centuries as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungus, anti-inflammatory immune system booster, used both for prevention and cure.
Following later was the washing and anointing of the body of Jesus, by his women followers including Mary of Bethany, in the tomb-vault of Lazarus.
In “L’Ultima Cena,” look again at the effeminate figure to the right of Jesus, the brilliant and wise Jewish rabbi who offered love, forgiveness, and spiritual salvation to the inhabitants of the brutally oppressive Roman-Herodean tetrarchy powered by its labyrinthine legal system.
It has been said that Da Vinci imbedded questions and answers in his various masterpieces, so, not surprisingly, the mysterious, delicate, feminine figure at Jesus’ right hand effectively engages the viewer.
As many people world-wide commemorate Passover and the Easter Season, perhaps Da Vinci has provided a depiction of Mary of Bethany as a rightful guest, the connective tissue for harmonizing religious belief through the spiritual guidance of both women and men conveying the simple message of love and inclusion.
Mary Brown is a docent at Penn Museum in the Mediterranean section, an adjunct faculty member in Latin at Saint Joseph’s University, and Executive Director of The Classical Association of the Atlantic States.
