Adoration of the Magi
1481-1482
Detail. Oil and bistre on panel, 8 ft, 3/4" x 7 ft, 11 1/2"
Florence, Uffizi Gallery
The "Adoration of the Magi" was conceived by da Vinci outside of all traditional schemes and terms. The artist imagined a great scene in which the Virgin and Child become the ideal center of a multitude of overwhelmed and adoring beings, present at the sacred mystery in all their misery. In the background, round the ruins of a fabulous palace, are groups of restless horses. The immediacy and extraordinary compositional skill, the luminous vibration that strikes the figures, architecture and landscape, the contained violence – make this colorless panel one of the greatest works of Leonardo, who was only thirty when he created it.
Leda and the Swan
copy after Leonardo da Vinci
Madonna and Child, known as the Madonna of the Carnation
Circa 1478
Oil on panel, 24 1/2" x 18 1/2"
Munich, Pinakothek
The attribution of this work has long been the subject of debate by critics, as the panel was partially repainted. By now it is considered a youthful work of Leonardo da Vinci. And in fact the landscape, appearing behind the archied windows with its bluish, craggy mountains and remote, isolated atmosphere, is typical of this genius.
In half-light of the room the Virgin emerges sweetly and serenely from the light that brushes over the figures, while the Child seems to be reaching for the carnation.
Madonna Offering a Flower to the Child (Benois Madonna)
1475-1478
Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 18 3/4" x 12 1/2"
Leningrad, Hermitage Museum
This work was once part of the Russian prince Kurakin's collection. It then passed on to the widow of the French painter Léon Benois. A Russian, Madame Bénois moved to St. Petersburg after her husband's death, and the work was exhibited for the first time as the painting of an anonymous artist in a 1909 exposition of the art treasures owned by private Russian citizens. On that occasion Leonardo's name was mentioned for the first time in connection with this painting of a delightful young Madonna who seems to be playing with her child. Later studies confirmed the authenticity of this, perhaps the freshest, most spontaneous work of da Vinci's youth.
The Virgin of the Rocks
1483-1486
Oil on panel transferred to canvas, 6', 6" x 4', 1/2"
Paris, Louvre Museum
Another painting of this subject by da Vinci is in the National Gallery in London, but it bears the marks of the master's helpers. This work was perhaps the one originally intended for a large altar-piece made of sculpted wood to be placed in a chapel of S. Francesco Grande Church in Milan. The critics, after much controversy, have decided that of the two almost identical works, this one in the Louvre was executed first and is the more certain and integral work of the master. The figures, beautiful and sweet in the soft light that illuminates them, stand out against a superb panorama of rocks which gave its name to the work, one of da Vinci's most sublime creations.
Ginerva De' Benci
Circa 1481
Detail of the head. Oil on pensl, 15 1/8" x 14 1/2"
Washington National Gallery
The young woman in the portrait has been identified as Ginerva de' Benci, a Florentine of noble birth. The face, panel and pure in the refined frame of blond hair, stands out against the dark juniper tree, (a symbol for Ginerva's name, since the Italian word for "juniper" is "ginepro"). Absorbed and mysterious, her eyelids concealing her emotions, the Florentine woman bears a subtle and penetrating fascination. On the other side of the panel there is a painting of a juniper branch surrounded by a wreath of laurel, with a Latin inscription. Since the wreath is incomplete at the bottom, it has been assumed that the panel was cut, thus depriving it of part of Ginevra's bust and her hands.
The Virgin and Child, St. Anne and the Infant St. John
Circa 1500
Detail of the heads. Charcoal on paper, 54 3/4" x 39 3/4"
London, National Gallery
Together with the Portrait of Isabella d'Este, this is the only surviving cartoon of Leonardo's besides his drawings and sketches. There are many preperratory studies for this work in various museums of the world.
The Virgin, who is setting the Child near St. John, is leaning slightly against St. Anne's knee. This work is extremely complex in its monumental conception. The group is enclosed in a single form with the free articulation of the figures set within this limited space. The sweet faces of the two women with their mysterious smiles and the tender beauty of the children create one of da Vinci's most intense masterpieces.