Virgin of the Rocks
1483–1486 · Oil on panel, transferred to canvas · Musée du Louvre, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
- Year
- 1483–1486
- Medium
- Oil on panel, transferred to canvas
- Original size
- 199 × 122 cm
- Collection
- Musée du Louvre, Paris
- Movement
- Renaissance
The Virgin kneels in a dim grotto of jagged rock, one hand over the infant John the Baptist, who prays to the Christ Child seated beside an angel; the angel points towards John, and pale peaks show through openings in the cave. On 25 April 1483 the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception in Milan contracted Leonardo and the brothers Ambrogio and Evangelista de Predis to provide paintings for the altarpiece of their chapel in San Francesco Grande. This Louvre version, dated about 1483–1486 and generally accepted as entirely by Leonardo, is considered the earlier of two; it is thought he sold it privately, and a second version, now in the National Gallery in London, was painted later to fulfil the commission. It is often cited for Leonardo's sfumato, the soft blending of light into shadow. First recorded in the French royal collection in 1625, it was later transferred from panel to canvas and hangs in the Louvre.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Four soft figures in a dark rocky grotto, blue and red against brown and shadowed green, under a rounded top, for a study, hallway or living room at 16×24 in black. A deep green or warm grey wall; it pairs with Mona Lisa.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Renaissance painting
- Era
- 15th century (1483–1486)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Virgin of the Rocks in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Virgin of the Rocks painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
