There are two versions of this masterpiece, similar to each other but not the same, both painted by #Leonardo da Vinci. The first that we report here is kept in The Louvre in Paris, while the second is located in the National Gallery in London.

☞ Do you know…

‣ The subject was chosen by the buyers of the #painting and, during the two years of work, it changed gradually adapting to the expectations of the public. The scene, taken from Christian literature, features Jesus and John the Baptist as children during their first meeting

‣ The setting inside a cave between #rocks and meticulously represented vegetation – see the foreground plant highlighted in our iconic red – symbolizes the entrails of the earth as mysterious as the womb. Then cave as a place of rebirth and passage to the afterlife

#Artgenderpics #VirginoftheRocks

#LeonardodaVinci #italianart #art #artlovers #artoftheday #paint #painting #painter #pittura #arte #maestro #masterpiece #virgin #artdiscover #learning #colors #bright #red #nature #cave #icon #mystery #inspiration #artinspiration #light #study

⇒ Date: Paris version 1483–1486, London Version 1495–1508

⇒ Material: Paris version Oil on panel (transferred to canvas), London Version Oil on panel

⇒ Dimensions: Paris version 199 cm × 122 cm (78.3 in × 48.0 in), London Version 189.5 cm × 120 cm (74.6 in × 47.25 in)

⇒ Site: Louvre, Paris | National Gallery, London