But Da Vinci did slip some references to his own life into the mural ...

You can forget about secret messages and cryptic symbols, but that doesn't mean there are no interesting details tucked away in the painting.

King said that the tapestries adorning the walls are very similar to those in the castle in Milan. What's more, the Apostles are portraits of many of da Vinci's own friends and contemporaries at the Milanese court.

"So in many ways the painting is — among other things — a representation of the court of Lodovico Sforza, the work's patron," King said.