Virgin of the Rocks

The Virgin of the Rocks at the National Gallery in London is the second of two versions Leonardo painted of this subject, commissioned originally by the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception in Milan for their chapel in San Francesco Grande. This London version, completed around 1494-1508 with assistance from Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis, replaced an earlier version now in the Louvre. The painting depicts the apocryphal meeting between the infant Christ and the young John the Baptist during the Flight into Egypt, set within a mysterious rocky grotto. It remains one of the National Gallery's most treasured possessions and a key work of the High Renaissance.

Leonardo employs his signature sfumato technique to create an atmosphere of ethereal mystery, with figures emerging from deep shadow within the cavernous landscape. The pyramidal composition anchored by the Virgin's outstretched hands demonstrates his mastery of geometric structure, while the meticulous botanical details of the rocks and plants reflect his scientific observation of nature.