Leonardo da Vinci: The Benois Madonna (1475-1480)

Question 1

Leonardo in relation to the painting

• Favoured subject
• Several productions of subject

Answer 1

• Leonardo favoured the religious subjects of the figures virgin and child.
• Producing several paintings and a number of sketches and drawings with this theme.
• There are multiple studies of the madonna and child that leonardo drew prior to the benois madonna.

Question 2

About the painting

• Title
• Completion
• Description
• Setting
• Human anatomy

Answer 2

• Named after Leon Benoit (19th century painter)
• Incomplete: Lack of attention to the draperies and unfinished landscape through the window
• Depicts: Religious subjects of figures virgin and child. Virgin is glistening with affection for the christ child. Flower of cruciferae family in a form of a cross to represent the grief and subtle reminder of death.
  Setting: Arched composition to match the frame and unified by one light source (natural setting)
• Human anatomy: Had interests in the human anatomy, yet the ears are inaccurate for an artist who studied the human anatomy.

Question 3

Drawings

• Medium
• Date
• Key features

Answer 3

• Most drawn with pen or ink
• Dated earlier than the painting so there is a possibility that it was used as an early study for the painting
• Dynamism, hatching/ shading, use of light

Question 4

Christ Child

• Multiple positions
• Live models
• Child bracing the cat: dynamism and hatching
• Depth

Answer 4

• Sketches the child in multiple positions, poses and perspectives
• Assumed that Leonardo used live models
• Use of dynamism as the child is shown moving in various positions and poses
• Child is bracing a cat, Leonardo uses quick curved lines to represent the cats movement and the moving baby.
• Shading is used to quickly convey the light source.
• Hatching is used to bring the figure and cat to life, to show just enough depth to make-out what the figure is doing (grabbing, touching and holding the cat)

Question 5

Virgin Mary

• Relationship
• Defined lines
• Highly detailed drawings of Madonna, child and cat

Answer 5

• These drawings study the relationship between the madonna and child
• The lines in comparison to the drawings of the christ child, is somewhat defined, where the christ child is sat on the madonna’s lap.
• In comparison to other drawings, these two sketches are highly detailed (Madonna, Child and Cat): In an arched frame with the cat, tests out different head positions of the madonna.