Leonardo da Vinci painted two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, a composition that depicts Madonna and baby Jesus with an infant John the Baptist and angel in a rocky landscape. One version now hangs at the Louvre, while the other belongs to the National Gallery London. In preparation for an upcoming exhibit at the National Gallery, further research was done on the painting and two preparatory sketches were found under the paint.
While the exact date isn't known for the painting's completion, it's generally accepted that it was finished between 1485-1508 as a commissioned altarpiece for a confraternity's chapel in Milan. In 1785, Scottish painter Gavin Hamilton purchased the work from the church and brought it to England. Almost a century later, in 1880, it became part of the National Gallery's collection.
In 2005, the work underwent restoration, which found that the Virgin was originally in a different position than in the final work. Then in preparation for an upcoming exhibit this fall, six experts used sophisticated imaging technology (the same tech used by the Navy Seals to find Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan in 2011, according to the Guardian) to find drawings underneath the composition that showed two other figures' poses were changed as well.
“Both figures are positioned higher up in the drawing, while the angel, facing out, is looking down on the infant Christ with what appears to be a much tighter embrace,” a spokesperson for the National Gallery spokesperson told the Guardian.
This discovery offers interesting insight into the artistic process of the Renaissance master as he worked and reworked his sketches on panel before executing them in paint.
In honour of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death, the museum will host an exhibit on the artist that especially features The Virgin of the Rocks. The exhibit, designed by 59 Productions, known for their multimedia, experiential approach, will also include a reconstruction of the Milanese chapel where the painting originally hung.