High resolution colour images also revealed another surprise: human handprints. Whose hands they belong to remains unknown, but they are most likely there as a result of someone patting down the priming layer on the panel to create a smoother, even surface to paint on.
Why did Leonardo change his original composition?
It’s not clear why Leonardo changed his original composition so significantly. We know that ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’ was painted for the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception in Milan, and that it is actually the second version of the painting. An earlier version is now in the Louvre, in Paris, and it is believed that Leonardo sold the ‘Paris’ version to a private client when the Confraternity failed to offer him a sufficiently generous bonus.
With the aid of these scientific images, we can surmise that Leonardo began work on a new composition, but then changed his mind, and reproduced his original composition – perhaps after the disagreement had been settled. This second version is no mere reproduction, however; along with significant adjustments to the figures he also uses this version to explore new kinds of lighting effects based on his own research into optics and the physiology of human vision.
Though full data processing and interpretation of this new research is still ongoing, we now have an enhanced understanding of the complex evolution of this, his most lengthy and convoluted commission – strengthening our perception of Leonardo’s restless creative energy: always adjusting, always seeking more.