The Madonna of the Yarnwinder
1515 - 1525. Oil on panel.Room 052C
This composition – its small size suited to a private chapel – draws directly on one of Leonardo’s most popular creations, whose widespread appeal was undoubtedly prompted by its emotional effectiveness. The Christ Child holds the winder traditionally used for making skeins of wool, which becomes a mirror of the cross on which he later died to redeem mankind. This idea is underlined by his nudity and by the melancholy expression of the two figures.
Leonardo designed this composition, but it was his pupils who painted the two principal versions under his supervision. Appearing in this work are features that were initially included in the prototypes (the basket and the architecture) and discarded in the course of execution, perhaps at the master’s recommendation. This fact suggests that Fernando Llanos used a drawing taken from the original models when they were in their initial state.
