"Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci - reproduction

"In 2019, the museum in London subjected its version of the 'Virgin of the Rocks' to a macro X-ray examination. Beneath the layers of paint, scientists discovered a completely different, initial composition that Leonardo had drawn but subsequently abandoned. In this lost third variant, the Madonna is positioned much higher, her head is sharply tilted, and one of her hands is folded in front of her chest. This proves that he was developing a third independent visual plot in his mind. Art historians and modern technologies confirm that he had at least one more fully developed but hidden project with the same plot. This explains why, at first glance, the two photos look so different. Leonardo used the curves of her hair at the top to form the vault of the first cave, and the folds of the drapery at the bottom to outline the relief of the second rock. What I am sharing is perhaps the most ingenious and striking revelation about this object! The fact that one micro-composition is hidden in the Madonna's hair, and the other is in the lower part of the drapery (the clothes), completely unravels the mystery of this 'metal codex'.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-11-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24029821
Primary Topic
Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis
Type
preprint
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"Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci - reproduction

Tanya Dimova
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis
preprint

"Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci - reproduction

Tanya Dimova
preprint en

Abstract

No abstract available for this paper.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis
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