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Leonardo da Vinci painted spilled salt into The Last Supper

By The Salt AlmanacPublished November 8, 2026

Leonardo da Vinci's mural The Last Supper, showing Jesus and the twelve apostles at a long table
Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper (1495–1498). The red box marks where Judas's arm rests on the table beside the overturned salt cellar.Leonardo da Vinci. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Image source
Close-up of The Last Supper showing Judas, Peter and John, with a red box around Judas's hand and the table where the salt cellar lies
Close-up: Judas (in blue and green, leaning back) clutches a small bag in his right hand. The salt cellar lies tipped over on the table inside the red box. The mural is badly faded here, so it is easier to see in person than in photographs.Leonardo da Vinci. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Image source

In his famous mural (1495–1498), an overturned salt cellar sits beside Judas's elbow. The detail is often linked to the superstition that spilling salt is unlucky, though historians point out the belief is older than the painting.

Read the full story: Why Spilling Salt Is Bad Luck

More salt facts

Robert Burns moved house with a bowl of saltGandhi walked 387 km (240 miles) to make saltMarco Polo saw salt used as money in ChinaLewis and Clark spent two months boiling seawater for salt

Cite this page

For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.

The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). Leonardo da vinci painted spilled salt into the last supper. https://saltalmanac.com/did-you-know/leonardo-spilled-salt

Original sources

  1. Wikipedia. Spilling salt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilling_salt