Simon was the oldest of Jesus’ Disciples. In Leonardo da Vinci’s (1452-1519) The Last Supper, Simon sits at the end of the table. The painting shows the disciples reaction during the Passover when Jesus has told them that one of the will betray Him. André Dutertre’s etching reproduces the head of the oldest disciple, Simon. And it can clearly be seen how Leonardo uses physiognomy and mimicry to provide an indication of Simon’s personality, representing him as the Disciple who remained thoughtful and calm.
There were concerns about the painting’s state of preservation. Dutertre started studying The Last Supper in 1789 at the suggestion of the French king, Louis 16 (1754-93). He has made an effort to note details and the lithograph is a meticulous piece of work. Concerns about The Last Supper, however, were anything but diminished when Napoleon took Milan, and his forces occupied the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where The Last Supper is to be found. During the stay there of the military from 1796 to 1801, the painting’s condition deteriorated yet more. Thorvaldsen possessed four lithographs (inv. nos. E1976 to E1979), made by Dutertre of disciples in Leonardo’s mural painting.
