Eataly Offers $1 Million To Preserve 'The Last Supper'

Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper is a masterpiece that has survived over 500 years, but time is not kind to works of art, and keeping the painting preserved is a complicated and very expensive process. This week Eataly co-founder Oscar Farinetti announced that the chain would be paying for a million-euro renovation that will help preserve da Vinci's work for another 500 years.

According to The Local, the painting is very delicate and fragile due to the fact that da Vinci painted it directly onto the stone wall of a convent. Over the years, dust and humidity have caused the painting to deteriorate significantly. Bombings during WWII also contributed to the work's problems.

Eataly's gift will pay for an advanced air-filtration system that will keep the temperature and humidity completely consistent, and also filter out dust, so the painting will be able to last much longer. The new filtration system will also mean that more people can see the painting, because currently annual visitors are capped at 400,000 to help preserve the painting and prevent dust and heat from the visitors from contributing to the wearing away of the painting. The installation of the new air conditioning system is expected to be complete by 2019.