Preliminary drawings appear in the painting "The Virgin of the Rocks" .. Did Da Vinci hide it?

Imran Abdullah

British National Museum experts have uncovered hidden preliminary drawings that do not appear with the naked eye in the painting of the famous Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci (1508) known as the "Virgin of the Rocks", and researchers from the London Gallery found that Leonardo's initial designs of the angel and Christ show significant differences in how they appear in the painting The final.

There are two copies of the oldest painting painted by Da Vinci between 1483 and 1486, the first at the Louvre in Paris and the second - almost identical and painted at the beginning of the sixteenth century - at the National Museum in London, while researchers say that some of Da Vinci's assistants have completed the drawing after their teacher began In her work.

X-ray, infrared, and spectral imaging showed no hidden drawings of the angel and Christ hidden in the colors of the latter drawing, but modern techniques have allowed the original design to be uncovered, including changes in the angle of the baby's head and the angel's look at the child.

The painting was subjected to scientific investigation and scrutiny, and discovered the original hidden drawings of the artist and the imprints of a mysterious hand left in the paint as a result of laying the foundations of the painting and the creation of an equal layer of thickness probably by Da Vinci or his assistant.

difference
"The hidden design shows Christ and the angel at a higher level in the painting, while the angel looks at the child Christ as if he embraces him," said a spokesman for the exhibition dedicated to the Renaissance pioneer, which is expected to open in November.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see the images of the "abandoned structure" under the final paint work, thanks to the illuminated X-ray maps (MA-XRF) and infrared and spectral imaging.

These drawings were found because they were made with a substance containing some zinc, allowing them to be seen in illuminated X-ray maps showing the location of this chemical element, which can also be detected by new infrared and ultra-spectral imaging, but the important question remains: why Leonardo abandoned About this configuration and initial fees?

Virgin Rocks
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was founded before 1335 by Beatrice d'Este, wife of the Italian Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.In 1479, a company was contracted to decorate the basement of the church and create a large wooden altar with places of painting, sculpture and decoration placed above the altar of the church.

The company, in turn, contracted Leonardo da Vinci to make the paintings of the altar and other artists, but the contract was not clear on what each artist should do, while Leonardo was referred to in the contract as "teacher".

Details of the painting, coloring and gilding were agreed in the contract, and its dues were paid in installments for more than two years, but disagreements over the value of the physical painting occurred before the painting was delivered and put into place on 18 August 1508.

There are two paintings of the Virgin of the Rocks in the National Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris. The two paintings are similar to each other, yet they differ in compositional details, color, lighting and paint handling.

While the right hand of the angel in the London panel rests on his knee, the hand is raised in the Louvre and the index finger points to Yahya (or John). The angel's eyes look meditatively in the London panel but look at the Louvre in the direction of the viewer.