Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Yarnwinder: A Historical and Scientific Detective Story: Scientific Quest v. 2

The Madonna of the Yarnwinder by Leonardo da Vinci exists as two prime versions. A detailed project of research covering the historical, artistic and physical aspects of these paintings has been carried out and is discussed in this book for the first time. The results of the research provided significant new material in three ways. Firstly, the painting was found to mark an important moment in the compositional development of the Renaissance devotional image. Secondly, scientific exams of the paintings revealed Leonardo's experimental nature, the materials he used and his working method. Thirdly, the historical research found new material on the provenance of both paintings.