Virgin of the Rocks
Mary, the infant Christ, the young John the Baptist, and an angel meet inside an invented rocky grotto. This is the earlier Louvre version of a composition Leonardo developed twice.
- c. 1483–1494
- Oil on panel, transferred to canvas
About Leonardo da Vinci
A sacred meeting inside a grotto
Mary occupies the centre, one hand resting around the young John the Baptist and the other hovering above the infant Christ. Christ raises two fingers in blessing. At the right, an angel supports him while turning outward toward the viewer.
Instead of placing the group in a palace or ordinary landscape, Leonardo encloses them among dark rock formations, water, and carefully observed plants. Openings in the grotto reveal pale distances. The setting is believable in its details but impossible as a single real place.
Four gestures make a circle
The figures are connected before they are separated by outline. Mary's arm holds John; John kneels toward Christ; Christ blesses him; and the angel's hand supports Christ. Mary's hovering left hand closes the circuit from above.
Leonardo uses light in the same way. Faces and hands emerge from shadow while the cave walls dissolve behind them. The sacred story does not need a written label because the gestures tell the viewer where to look next.
Why there are two Virgin of the Rocks paintings
Two closely related versions survive. The Louvre painting is generally treated as the earlier one and dates it from about 1483 to 1494. A later version belongs to the National Gallery in London. They share the same basic group but differ in gesture, details, and handling.
The Louvre work was originally painted on a wooden panel and later transferred to canvas. It now carries inventory number INV 777 and is displayed in Room 710, beside other late and major works by Leonardo.
That placement makes the development visible: The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne binds another family group through overlapping bodies, while Saint John the Baptist turns the young saint's role into a single upward gesture.
Timeline
c. 1483
Leonardo begins the Louvre version during his first Milanese period.
c. 1494
The Louvre's broad dating range for the painting ends.
1806
The painted image is transferred from its original wooden panel to canvas.
Today
The work is Louvre inventory INV 777 and is displayed in Room 710.
Frequently asked questions
Who is in Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks?
The group consists of the Virgin Mary, the infant Christ, the young John the Baptist, and an angel, traditionally identified as Uriel.
Why are there two versions of Virgin of the Rocks?
Leonardo and his workshop developed the commission more than once. The Louvre owns the earlier version; the National Gallery in London owns a later related version with noticeable differences in gesture and detail.
Where is the Louvre Virgin of the Rocks?
It is Louvre inventory INV 777 and is currently displayed in Room 710 on Level 1 of the Denon wing. Gallery assignments can change, so check the museum record before visiting.
