The Private Life of a Masterpiece

The stories behind three paintings that encompass traditional Easter themes. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. Dan Brown 's blockbuster The Da Vinci Code may have brought the fresco to a new audience, but historian David Rosand argues that the book suffers from a basic misreading of the painting; here, he guides us through the work's life story.

This extraordinary crucifixion scene - inspired by a weird mix of Spanish mysticism and nuclear physics - is often called the 20th century's greatest religious painting. Yet the artist was a notorious blasphemer whose work had provoked outrage in the Catholic Church.

A masterpiece of composition, Francesca's widely admired painting depicts the risen Christ - wearing the expression of "a sturdy stevedore", as one art critic put it - while beneath him the guards slumber. Art experts explain the significance of this extraordinary work.