LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Infrared reflectogram of The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci Oil on panel. About 1470–1474 Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Leonardo’s first painting, The Annunciation, was found in the 18th century in the church of San Bartolomeo in Monteoliveto. It dates from the early 1470s. The image is a traditional one – the Archangel Gabriel blessing the Virgin Mary before telling her that she is to bear the son of God – but the scene is set in the garden of Mary’s house. Infrared reflectography highlights every trace of carbon in a painting, revealing the underdrawing – which is extremely precise and meticulous in this instance. © Archivo Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Su concessione del Ministero dei Beni e delle attività culturali Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Study of an Arm for The Annunciation, Fragment of a Study of a Head Pen and brown ink, wash, red chalk About 1470–1472 This is a study of the angel Gabriel’s gesture of blessing with his right arm for the painting of The Annunciation. The infrared reflectogram shows that the ribbon wound around the angel’s upper arm was very precisely repro- duced on the painted panel in the Uffizi Gallery. Leonardo modified the drawing during the course of its execution, giving it a greater sense of movement and creating the impression that the Archangel has just landed. Christ Church, Oxford, inv. 0036 0 15 0 16