Ginevra de'Benci by Leonardo da Vinci

National Gallery of Art - Washinton, DC
Guided Tour: Italian Renaissance Collection - Through Sunday, August 31 - FREE!

Exploring the period from the early 13th to the late 16th century in Italy—from the late Middle Ages to the rebirth of interest in classical humanism—this tour focuses on culture and ideals. It traces the rise of scientific inquiry, geographic exploration, secular influences, and the individual through the art of such masters as Duccio, Leonardo, Verrocchio, Botticelli, Giorgione, Bellini, Raphael, and Titian. West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Caption: Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci, c. 1474/1478, oil on panel. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

First new Leonardo for 70 years found
Technology uncovers a sketch to provoke conspiracy theories
July 1, 2005

The Virgin on the Rocks has hung at the gallery for 117 years but, unknown to its millions of admirers, it concealed a second work that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

When curators examined the painting using near infra-red scanning technology they found the first new Leonardo work for more than 70 years.

The scanner, which uses technology designed to spot tanks on a battlefield, picked up not only the underdrawing for The Virgin on the Rocks but also a completely different picture.

Beneath the Virgin’s head is a hand, clutched to a woman’s breast. As curators uncovered more of the drawing it became clear that the hand belonged to a second Virgin Mary gazing down at a series of lines that are believed to be the beginnings of a baby Jesus.

The drawing is likely to be a depiction of Mary kneeling before Jesus, a scene painted by many Renaissance artists and known as the Adoration of the Christ Child.

The hidden head is remarkable because it is the same head that appears — in reverse — as that of St Philip in Leonardo’s The Last Supper.