Angel musicians (National Gallery)
The Angel musicians are two paintings created in the late 15th century to frame Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin of the Rocks. Their purpose was to decorate the side panels of the Altarpiece in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, created to decorate a chapel in the Church of San Francesco Grande in Milan. Separated from their original altarpiece at the very end of the 18th century, they have been in the National Gallery in London since 1898.
Angel musicians (National Gallery)
Angel musicians (National Gallery)
Ambrogio de Predis, Portrait of a Woman in Profile, between 1495 and 1499, London, National Gallery.
The instrument played by the angel in green: a lira da braccio.
The Virgin of the Rocks, sometimes the Madonna of the Rocks, is the name of two paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, of the same subject, with a composition which is identical except for several significant details. The version generally considered the prime version, the earlier of the two, is unrestored and hangs in the Louvre in Paris. The other, which was restored between 2008 and 2010, hangs in the National Gallery, London. The works are often known as the Louvre Virgin of the Rocks and London Virgin of the Rocks respectively. The paintings are both nearly 2 metres high and are painted in oils. Both were originally painted on wooden panels, but the Louvre version has been transferred to canvas.
Virgin of the Rocks
Virgin of the Rocks
Angel by an unknown painter, perhaps Bernardino Luini or Francesco Napoletano
Angel probably by Ambrogio de Predis.