The Virgin and Child With St. Anne (Leonardo Da Vinci) - History

History

In 1998, Leonardo probed into incorporating these figures together by drawing the Burlington House Cartoon (National Gallery). In 2008, a curator at the Louvre discovered several faint sketches believed to have been made by Leonardo on the back of the painting. Infrared reflectography was used to reveal a "7-by-4 inch drawing of a horse's head", which had a resemblance to sketches of horses that da Vinci had made previously before drawing Battle of Anghiari. Also revealed was a second sketch 61⁄2 inch-by-4 inch depiction of half a skull. A third sketch showed the infant Jesus playing with a lamb, which sketch was similar to that which is painted on the front side. The Louvre spokesperson said that the sketches were "very probably" made by Leonardo and that it was the first time that any drawing had been found on the "flip side of one of his works". The drawings will be further studied by a group of experts as the painting undergoes restoration.

Read more about this topic:  The Virgin And Child With St. Anne (Leonardo Da Vinci)

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    Psychology keeps trying to vindicate human nature. History keeps undermining the effort.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)

    America is, therefore the land of the future, where, in the ages that lie before us, the burden of the World’s history shall reveal itself. It is a land of desire for all those who are weary of the historical lumber-room of Old Europe.
    Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)

    We have need of history in its entirety, not to fall back into it, but to see if we can escape from it.
    José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955)