Virgin of the Rocks

There are two Virgins of the Rocks

Leonardo painted this subject twice. The first version, now in the Louvre, was begun in Milan in the 1480s. The second, shown here, belongs to the National Gallery in London and was completed much later, in the first decade of the sixteenth century.

Both were connected to a commission from the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception in Milan for an altarpiece in their chapel in the church of San Francesco Grande. A long dispute over payment followed, and the first version seems to have been sold elsewhere. The London painting is the one that eventually stood in the chapel.

The figures are the same in both: the Virgin Mary, the infant John the Baptist, the infant Christ and an angel, gathered in a rocky grotto.

Mary at the centre, looking down

Mary kneels at the centre with her eyes lowered. A thin gold halo circles her head, a feature added in the London version and absent from the Louvre one. Her face is softly modelled, with deep shadows around the eyes.

Her right arm reaches around the young John, drawing him in, while her left hand hovers above the Christ child, protective and blessing at once. Her blue mantle, with its golden lining, is the strongest colour in the painting.

Two children, one blessing

At the left, the infant John the Baptist kneels with his hands joined in prayer. In the London version he carries a thin reed cross, his usual attribute, which identifies him clearly.

Across from him sits the infant Christ, raising two fingers in blessing towards John. The meeting of the two children is not described in the Gospels. It comes from later tradition, which told that they met in the wilderness during the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt.

The angel no longer points

The angel kneels at the right, supporting Christ. In the Louvre version, the angel looks out at the viewer and points towards John. In the London version the pointing hand is gone, and the angel looks gently down and away.

The change makes the London painting quieter and more focused on the exchange between the children. It is one of several differences that show the second version was carefully rethought rather than simply copied.

A grotto of strange rocks

The figures sit in a cave of dark, jagged rock formations, with openings that reveal a misty blue landscape of water and pinnacles. Plants grow from the rock, some painted with botanical precision.

Leonardo studied geology and wrote about rocks and water. The setting is imaginative, but it draws on that observation. The cool light and the blue tones of the London version, more pronounced than in the Louvre painting, give the scene a solemn, otherworldly mood.

A meeting that is not in the Bible

The scene shows the infant John the Baptist meeting the infant Jesus, watched over by Mary and an angel. This meeting is not described in the Gospels. It comes from later tradition, which told that the Holy Family met the young John in the wilderness during their flight into Egypt.

Leonardo set the scene in a strange rocky landscape, a grotto with water and plants. The setting may refer to the idea of Mary as a refuge, and to the rock as a symbol of the church. It also gave Leonardo a chance to show his deep knowledge of geology and botany.

How the two versions differ

The compositions are almost identical, but there are important differences. In the Louvre version, the angel points towards John and looks out at the viewer. In the London version, the angel does not point, and looks down. The London figures also have haloes and John holds a reed cross, details added to make the religious meaning clearer.

The colours differ too. The London painting is cooler and bluer, with a more even light. Scientific studies have shown that parts of it were painted with help from Leonardo’s workshop, probably including the artist Ambrogio de Predis, though Leonardo himself painted the key areas.

A hidden first design

Infrared and X-ray studies at the National Gallery revealed an earlier drawing under the London painting. Leonardo had first sketched a different composition, with a kneeling figure in another pose. He then changed his mind and painted the familiar group. The discovery shows that the second version was not simply a copy but a rethought work.

Sfumato and shadow

Leonardo modelled the faces and bodies with soft transitions from light to dark, without hard edges. This technique, called sfumato, from the Italian for smoke, gives the figures a gentle, almost dreamlike presence. In the dark grotto, the pale faces seem to glow.

The contrast between the deep shadows of the rocks and the soft light on the figures creates a powerful sense of depth and mystery.

Where to see it

This version hangs in the National Gallery in London. The earlier version is in the Louvre in Paris. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows the London composition. For more of the world’s great pictures, explore our top 100 most famous paintings.

Questions about the Virgin of the Rocks

Why are there two versions?

Both relate to the same commission in Milan. A dispute over payment seems to have led to the first being sold, and Leonardo and his workshop produced the second for the chapel.

Which version is this?

The later version in the National Gallery, London, with halos, John’s reed cross and an angel who no longer points.

Where is the other version?

The earlier version is in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Who are the figures?

The Virgin Mary, the infant John the Baptist, the infant Christ and an angel.

Is the meeting of Jesus and John in the Bible?

No. It comes from later tradition about the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt.

Did Leonardo paint the London version alone?

Studies suggest his workshop helped with parts of it, but Leonardo painted the most important areas.

What was found under the London painting?

An earlier drawing of a different composition, revealed by infrared and X-ray analysis.

Sources and image credit

• The National Gallery, London: The Virgin of the Rocks
• Wikimedia Commons: Virgin of the Rocks (National Gallery London)

Faithful public-domain reproduction of the Virgin of the Rocks (London version), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.