The Virgin of the Rocks
Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 199.5 x 122 cm, by Leonardo da Vinci, 1483–94
Musée du Louvre, Paris

This painting was first mentioned in 1625 at Château de Fontainebleau. Its acquisition is shrouded in uncertainty, and was speculated to have occurred between 1499 and 1512 under Louis XII or later under François I. Originally commissioned for a chapel in Milan in 1483, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, the altarpiece depicted the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus. It was intended that the altarpiece would illustrate the concept of the Immaculate Conception, symbolically portraying Mary protected from original sin by God amidst rocks and mountains. However, only three surviving elements of the destroyed altarpiece remain, now housed in the National Gallery in London. Da Vinci's initial composition for the central panel featured the Virgin adoring the Child Jesus, possibly with the infant Saint John the Baptist. While the contract for the altarpiece was descriptive, da Vinci's preparatory drawings and the final painting suggest an Adoration of the Child Jesus, reminiscent of Florentine traditions. The theme allowed Leonardo to explore the Incarnation, portraying divine mysteries through a narrative dimension. The existence of two versions of the Virgin of the Rocks has puzzled historians, with the Louvre version considered the first, stylistically preceding the London version. Various hypotheses had been formulated regarding their origin and purpose. It was suggested that the two paintings were intended for different altarpieces, whilst the majority favoured the theory of a substitution, wherein the Louvre painting was replaced by the London one due to financial disputes and changes in composition requested by the patrons. Infrared studies of both versions in 2005 and 2009 made it possible to definitively reject the theory of substitution, substantial differences between both versions were revealed. The Louvre version, characterised by its emotional depth and naturalistic setting, displays Leonardo's mastery of chiaroscuro and symbolism. Its composition, cantered on the Adoration of the Child Jesus, invites viewers to contemplate divine mysteries through narrative elements and intricate emotional expressions.