‘As Eden was the Paradise of Creation, Mary is the Paradise of the Incarnation, and in her, as a Garden were celebrated the first nuptials of God and man’ – Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Born in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci (literally of Vinci, a region near Florence, Italy) had an uninhibited search for knowledge. A multifaceted genius and a blue-sky thinker, his interest in architecture, engineering, sculpting, mathematics, science, anatomy, biology, astronomy, etc. earned him the epithet ‘The Renaissance Man’. His absolute thirst for unending knowledge and his infinite ‘whys’ produced several substantial cross-disciplinary connections that unraveled the science of art and the art of science. To date, most of his works continue to stir controversies, theories, feuds, and fantasies.

One such masterpiece was executed by this creative genius during his stay in Milan. Titled ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’ the painting was commissioned by a confraternity devoted to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. The painting was meant to be the main altarpiece in their newly built chapel in the Church of San Francesco Grande, Milan. However, when the patrons refused to pay what the artist considered a fair price, Leonardo sold the painting to another customer.

A few years later the confraternity obliged and persuaded the artist to paint a second version. Today the former is on display at the Louvre, Paris while the latter now hangs in the National Gallery, London. The two versions are almost identical but for the angel, who in the Paris version gazes at the viewer while pointing towards St. John the Baptist. In this article, we will consider the painting at the National Gallery.

At first sight, we are captivated by the Blessed Virgin who dominates the center of the scene. The Blessed Mother is seated not on a royal throne but the throne of nature. This depiction of the Virgin seated on the ground was popularly recognized as ‘The Madonna of Humility.’ Her gestures are incredibly beautiful. Dressed in blue, the Blessed Mother tilts her head to the right, wrapping her right arm around the little Baptist, almost directing him towards Christ Child.

John leans forward in fervent prayer while the Infant Christ extends his right hand in benediction. Notice the Mother’s protective foreshortened hand that steadily hovers over her Son. It does not direct Him rather simply abides and endures. The body of Christ Child lies close to that of an angel, who holds Him with its left hand. The presence of the dreamy divine angel is significant for it hearkens to the Annunciation of both John and Jesus. It reminds us that God is always all-present.

Leonardo paints this scene in a holy grotto with immense attention to detail. Observe the accuracy of the anatomy, the botanical and geological specimens, and of course the never-ending Adam’s ale. The background merges with the foreground through a technique called the ‘sfumato’, a haziness that beckons us beyond the focal plane. All of this reminds us that Leonardo was not just a painter. He was a thinker who was fascinated by the natural world and her never-ending forms. He observed, studied, and absorbed nature with a pinch of imagination and ceaseless devotion.

Through the ‘Virgin of the Rocks’, Leonard wanted to foster devotion to the Divine. He succeeds in doing so through an array of important iconography. In the immediate foreground of the painting lies a rested pool. The sheer stillness of the water hearkens to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. The undisturbed water also foreshadows the Baptism of Christ.

In contrast to the calm waters, the artist depicts the upward thrust of the clammy mountain recess. Within its formless formation sits an ominous opening which leads us into what appears as Paradise. Could this refer to the first verse of the Bible? ‘In the beginning…the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.’ (Genesis 1: 1-2). The portrayal of primitive elements in the painting suggests that this is the dawn of a New Creation, the Immaculate Creation, the creation of a New Eden who bore a New Adam – an Eternal Creation abounding with life. This is the Creation we are created to Embrace. 

© – Archdiocesan Heritage Museum