In 1483, he was commissioned to make the large altar piece The Virgin of the Rocks (1482-1486) for the Franciscan Confraternity in the Church of S. Francesco Grande.
Another version of this picture was created later. Working as court painter and sculptor, he created the Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with an Ermine) (c.1490), Portrait of an Unknown Woman (La Belle Ferroniere) (c.1490), several small Madonnas, such as Madonna Litta (c. 1490), and worked on the equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza (father of Ludovico Sforza).
Though he created a huge clay model for the horse, the project was abandoned and never cast in bronze. During this time, Leonardo painted The Last Supper (c.1495-1498) for the refectory of the Dominican Monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is considered the first work of the High Renaissance and is one of his defining works.
His representation of the theme has become the epitome of all Last Supper compositions. Unfortunately, he experimented with the medium
of the painting and this led to damage to the fresco, as the paint began to crumble almost immediately after the fresco was finished.
