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The central gallery is dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci’s Burlington House Cartoon, circa 1506-1508 (National Gallery, London), which will return to the Royal Academy for the first time in over 60 years. Between 1500 and 1501, the drawing evokes the moment when Jesus summons his mother to accept his Future Passion, helped in this by his grandmother who also symbolizes the Church.
The exhibition will culminate with drawings highlighting the mythical meeting between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
In 1503, to celebrate the liberation of Florence, its government had commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint a monumental fresco, the Battle of Anghiari, in its newly built council chamber.In late August or early September 1504, around the time that Michelangelo’s David was installed on the ringhiera in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the accompanying Battle of Cascina.Neither project was ever completed, but the exhibition will bring together the much-admired preparatory drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo from collections across Europe, including a large group loaned by His Majesty the King from the Royal Collection, providing a fascinating insight into the approach of both artists to their compositions.
It is Raphael who concludes this marvellous journey with a drawing from 1505- 1506, in which he meticulously copies the central scene of Leonardo da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari.
A journey through time to the rhythm of timeless masterpieces of rare and disturbing beauty...
Michelangelo Buonarroti,
The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John (The ‘Taddei Tondo’), c. 1504-05. Marble, 106.8 x 106.8 cm.
Royal Academy of Arts, London. Bequeathed by Sir George Beaumont, 1830. Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London, Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited