Leonardo da Vinci:
Geologic Representations in the Virgin and Child with St. Anne
Leonardo da Vinci’s the Virgin and Child and St. Anne (St. Anne) has been the subject of wonder and speculation ever since it was painted sometime between 1501-1517. In it, the Christ child is shown clutching a sacrificial lamb, symbol of His Passion, while the Virgin reaches over to restrain Him and her mother, St. Anne, looks upon them tenderly. Art critics, psychiatrists and medical doctors are among the many who have been fascinated with this painting. Each has interpreted it to reflect his own profession: Bernard Berenson, the art critic, disliked the composition because it appeared as if St. Anne was crouching1; Sigmund Freud found deep psychological implications in the representation of the Virgin and St. Anne, and a medical doctor imagined seeing ensanguined embryos in the pebbles below St. Anne’s foot. According to art historian Patrice Boussel: “Many consider the St. Anne a treasure trove of esoterica and occult wonders; some see in it the expanding cosmos and an all-embracing system of beliefs”.
What a marvelous picture to elicit comments from experts in such diverse disciplines. Yet, since it is set in the Dolomites, mountains which are part of the Alps in northeastern Italy, it seems only right to analyze the painting’s geology. As will be shown, the geologic formations in the picture are depicted with Leonardo’s trademark accuracy, and thus, are identifiable. More importantly, the geology provides a scientific basis for addressing much of the speculation and interpretation which has been lavished on this painting.
Reviews
“The thrilling focus put by Ann Pizzorusso’s researches on the geology of Leonardo’s landscapes in works such as the Virgin of the Rocks and the Louvre’s The Virgin and Child with St. Anne is of foremost importance. Pizzorusso’s analyses and synthetic, clear explanations, help us better to understand Leonardo’s amazing attachment to a truthful, scientific-like, investigation into the world in which we live. Retrospectively, it also helps to see the Master at work concretely in his quest for perfection.”
- Jacques Franck, curator/exhibitor at the Uffizi Gallery
"A slim but eloquent and persuasive study of the assorted depictions of rock in Leonardo’s The Virgin and Child with St. Anne examines the pictorial means of the most perplexing figural invention in the artist’s oeuvre."
- Michael Daley, Director of ArtWatch UK
"Geological complexity demonstrates Leonardo’s ongoing efforts to achieve an astounding level of sophistication not only in portrayal of natural objects and figures but in his painting techniques as well."
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Jonah Meyer, The US Review Book
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