For perhaps the world’s most renowned artist in history, Leonardo da Vinci only completed a handful of works in his lifetime.
He was a notoriously slow and unreliable client.
Only around 15 finished painted pieces survive today, amongst them are two almost-identical paintings, titled ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’. You'll find both of them here.
The work was commissioned by a church in Milan when Leonardo was 31.
But he didn’t submit it until he was 56.
About 10 years in, da Vinci demanded twice the agreed-upon salary to complete the work.
He was refused, so sold the original painting to a higher bidder.
In the following 15 years, he painted another copy in fits and bursts whenever he happened to be in Milan. This final work is what you'll see first.
Instead of receiving a brightly coloured panel of the Virgin Mary, two prophets and Christ surrounded by angels and thinly covered in gold paint (as stated in the originally signed contract), the church was presented with this darker, moody piece of mastery.
