Felsgrottenmadonna

Felsgrottenmadonna
Leonardo da Vinci (1475–1513), Felsgrottenmadonna, London, National Gallery, Saal 66, um 1491–1508, Bild 1/3
Leonardo da Vinci (1475–1513), Felsgrottenmadonna, London, National Gallery, Saal 66, um 1491–1508, Bild 1/3
Leonardo da Vinci (1475–1513), Felsgrottenmadonna, London, National Gallery, Saal 66, um 1491–1508, Bild 2/3
Leonardo da Vinci (1475–1513), Felsgrottenmadonna, London, National Gallery, Saal 66, um 1491–1508, Bild 3/3

The Virgin of the Rocks

The Christ Child, seated to the right and supported by an angel, blesses his cousin, the infant Saint John the Baptist; the latter, who can be identified by his cross and scroll, in turn folds his hands in prayer. The Virgin further connects the two by holding out one hand above Christ, her Son, while touching Saint John's shoulder with another.

This impressive, large painting is a highly original interpretation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which was the subject of the altarpiece to which the work belonged. It entailed the belief that though born of human parents, Christ's mother was preserved from all stain of original sin. Mysterious by its nature, the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin was much debated, and posed a particular challenge to artists in visualizing it. By showing the Virgin as an image of almost supernatural beauty, surrounded by a landscape that appears untouched by human hands - a natural yet also idealized world - Leonardo's creation emphasises the Virgin's role as the perfect intermediator for Mankind. The rocky setting that is referenced in the work's popular title may in addition refer to the world at the dawn of time, to the desert in which Christ lived after his flight into Egypt, or both.

London, National Gallery, Saal 66
London, National Gallery, Saal 66, Bild 1/2
London, National Gallery, Saal 66, Bild 1/2
London, National Gallery, Saal 66, Bild 2/2

In Vorbereitung: Paris, Musée d’Orsay; Paris, Musée des Arts décoratifs; L'Aquila, Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo; Ascoli Piceno, Pinacoteca civica

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