Benois Madonna
The Benois Madonna, otherwise known as the Madonna and Child with Flowers, is a Rennaissance painting by Leonardo da Vinci, now in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. One of two Madonnas that Leonardo started in October 1478, it was completed 1478–1480; the other was the "Madonna of the Carnation", now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich. History. It is likely that the "Benois Madonna" was the first work painted by Leonardo independently from his master Verrocchio. There are two of Leonardo's preliminary sketches for this piece in the British Museum, although the painting was probably overpainted by other  hands. The preliminary sketches and the painting itself suggest that Leonardo was concentrating on the idea of sight and perspective. The child is thought to be guiding his mother's hands into his central vision. The "Benois Madonna" has proved to be one of Leonardo's most popular. It was extensively copied by young painters, including Raphael, whose own version, the "Madonna of the Pinks", was acquired in 2004 by the National Gallery, London. For centuries, the painting was presumed to have been lost. The painting had in fact been acquired in Italy by the Russian artillery general and art  connoisseur (1751–1821) in the 1790s. Upon Korsakov's death, his son sold it for the sum of 1,400 roubles to the Astrakhan fishing merchant Alexander Petrovich Sapozhnikov, who had his own art gallery; it was then passed on to his wealthy philanthropist son Alexander Alexendrovich Sapozhnikov (1827–1887). Finally when his daughter Maria Sapozhnikova (1858–1938) married the architect Leon Benois (1856–1928), the painting became part of the inheritance of the Benois family. In 1909, it was sensationally exhibited in Saint Petersburg as part of the Benois collection. In 1912, the Benois family considered selling the painting and requested an appraisal from  the London art dealer Joseph Duveen, who gave an evaluation of 500,000 francs. The art historian Bernard Berenson made disparaging comments about the painting, raising doubts about its authenticity: Despite these wrangles about attribution, however, the "Benois Madonna" was eventually sold to the Imperial Hermitage Museum in 1914. The purchase was made by Ernst Friedrich von Liphart, then curator of paintings at the Hermitage, who he had correctly identified the artist. The payments were made in installments, continuing even after the 1917 October Revolution. Since 1914 the painting has been exhibited in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. Description and interpretation . This small painting shows a dark room with the Virgin seated on a bench with her Child outstretched on her lap. Her young rounded face is lively; she is clothed in a olive and brown raiment, with brown and blue drapery covering her knees. The ample Christ Child grasps a cruciform sprig of flowers which the Virgin is holding. The faces of the vividly coloured figures are crowned with delicately gilded halos. In an otherwise dark interior, a double arched aperture gives a glimpse on to pale blue skies. In Renaissance Florence, artistic portrayals of Madonnas often used Christian symbolism  to suggest foreknowledge of the Crucifixion — for example, the goldfinch plucking Christ's thorns from his crown. For the "Benois Madonna", the symbol is a flowering sprig, in the form of a crucifix, held by the Virgin. As suggests in the "Benois Madonna", Leonardo attempted to rationalize between the mysteries of 'sight' and 'insight': "The child of the "Benois Madonna" has still not responded to the distinctly cruciform shape of the flower [...] because he cannot see it clearly. Once that happens, the child’s hazy curiosity could [...] lead to foresight of his sacrifice". Notwithstanding its solemn motif, the painting  represents one of the "most joyous and youthful depiction of Mary in Renaissance art ... she seems to be speaking or laughing, playfully engaged with her child, her radiant vitality accentuated through Leonardo’s deliberate complications of posture and drapery". References. Footnotes Citations