Leonardo's Exhibition in Ancona

In December I went to this exhibition with my dad. It was disappointing. Why? Simply because there was hardly any work by Leonardo. The majority of the art displayed included his drawings--some of which were replicas, portraits by some of his pupils and a few prints showing his bizarre habit to write backwards and a couple of his essays studying the phenomenon of flight and the anatomy of birds. Leonardo, obsessed with flying and unaware of the aerodynamics laws, thought that the secret of flying lay on the structural reproduction of the bird's wing. There was also a video, in English, in which Angelica Huston exposed Leo’s view on nature and art through the reading of extracts from his writings whose exordium sounded like this: "Leonardo used to see nature with the sensitiveness of an artist and with the eye of an architect”.

Only one painting in oil and of decent size dominated the room: La Vergine delle Rocce. But this latter was neither the controversial version from the Louvre nor the second version hold by the National gallery.* It was a third copy privately owned and much more similar to the second replica than to the supposedly original, and much more interesting, work. So, what differentiates the two main editions of the painting dealing with the same theme (the Madonna surrounded by baby Jesus, John Baptist and the angels)? Well, the changes and their reasons were neither explained nor even mentioned in the exhibition. A plaque next to the frame limited itself to remark that the former painting was refused by the commissioners because it did not meet the agreed requirements. The then controversy about the Immaculate Conception was hinted at, but it was not clear how this was linked to the painting in question. Vaguely reminiscent of the Da Vinci Code’s allusions to this masterpiece, once at home, I made some researches to find out a bit more about it.

History: On the 25th April 1483, Leonardo was contracted to deliver an altarpiece which would decorate the chapel of the Immacolata at the church of San Francesco Grande in Milan. Leonardo's contract had a very short deadline which required the painting be delivered before December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, but he failed to comply; this piece then became the source of two lengthy lawsuits which lasted for many years. He agreed to do a second work—or to have another artist do one on his behalf—and to deliver it on time, which he did. And the Louvre painting may have been given by Leonardo to King Louis XII of France in gratitude for settling the law suit between those who commissioned the works and the painter.

The contract was very complicated and carefully designed to ensure the monks received precisely the picture they wanted:

"Item, Our Lady is the centre: her mantle shall be of gold brocade and ultramarine blue. Item, her skirt shall be of gold brocade over crimson, in oil, varnished with a fine lacquer... Item, God the Father: his gown shall be of gold brocade and ultramarine blue. Item, the angels shall be gilded and their pleated skirts outlined in oil, in the Greek manner. Item, the mountains and rocks shall be worked in oil, in a colourful manner...”

The Virgin or Madonna of the Rocks addresses the theme of the Immaculate Conception; this being the belief that the Christ child was conceived without original sin on Mary's part. This was a hotly debated topic in Leonardo's day and he was required to convey the purity radiating from the Virgin. In both paintings she was depicted as flat-chested and sitting in a cavern. The setting was perfect for the chapel as it was built over catacombs.

Some changes were made to the contractual description: St. John** was emblematically introduced, while an angel was removed.The paintings illustrate a popular story of the time. It is that of Jesus meeting an infant John the Baptist, who is in the care of the angel Uriel. Both are on the run to evade Herod's massacre of innocents. As John pays homage to Jesus, he is blessed and the Baptism prophesied; this explains the pool in the foreground of the Louvre version, set in the autumn. The original sketches showed the angel as very feminine; this was changed in the final painting where the angel can be seen as either male or female.

The first version of the Virgin of the Rocks appears to be full of hermetic symbols. Analysts (like Pentusaglia) presented a semiotic interpretation of the painting by detecting the recurrent number *6* alluding to the episode narrated by St Luke in which Maria goes and visit Elizabeth who, although in her old age, is at her 6th month of pregnancy blessed by God’s grace. Maria stays with her three months before going back home. This sixth month in the woman’s pregnancy is when the embryo assumes the shape of a formed human being and gives shape to the placenta around him creating a sort of doppelganger, which can be identified in the figure of baby John Baptist looking Jesus' twin brother. Furthermore, the background of the painting looks like a cave surrounded by phallic rocks and womb images, and the drapery of Mary’s dress seems to hide & reveal a recent pregnancy.



Virgin of the Rocks in London's National Gallery displays a number of changes from the Louvre piece. It brings the viewer closer to the figures, is much bluer and has an air of flowing waters. Other new or changed elements include St. John's cross of reeds; the hand of the angel which no longer points at St. John; the halos and the lighter drapery. Both the halos and the cross were a later addition done by an unknown artist. Portions of the painting are slightly unfinished, the left-hand of the angel being one area, concealing the numerical symbol detected by Pentusaglia. It is also likely that the foreground was intended to be containing a pool similar to that of the Louvre version. Areas to compare are the rocks which seem badly lit, and the flesh of the children which is flat looking. Finally, Mary's drapery is more plastic and less ethereal.


In conclusion, the original painting illustrates a more human, and sinful, image of conception, while the second and third paintings see the addition of explicit catholic symbols, the conceal of some hermetical signs and the attempt of delivering a more spiritual and less fleshy image of the children, with poorer quality results. This theses could offer a more intriguing reason, than the missing of a deadline, why the original painting was rejected by the commissioners.


* For historical accuracy, I ought to say that experts have studied both paintings closely and consider the Louvre version to be entirely by Leonardo, while the National Gallery version is still the source of some debate. Critics continue to take issue with which is the earlier version of Virgin of the Rocks and there is no proof either way. However, it appears that the style of the Louvre version belongs more to the 1480s and this painting was probably completed early in 1490. The London painting is a more mature work and, assuming it is the later version, dates to around 1506.

** John was the prophet who preached the coming of Christ as the Messiah. He was related to Jesus through his mother Saint Elizabeth, cousin of the Virgin Mary. John preached in the desert, baptising in the river Jordan those who repented their sins. Jesus came to be baptised, and was revealed as the Son of God; this was the most important act of John's life. John criticised King Herod for taking his half-brother's wife, Herodias. Shortly after Jesus' baptism, Herod ordered John to be beheaded at the request of Salome, Herodias' daughter. Salome's dancing had so pleased Herod that he had agreed to grant her anything that she wanted. At her mother's prompting she asked for the head of John the Baptist.

More about the Hidden Leonardo can be found here.