'Adoration of the Magi,' painted by master painter Leonardo da Vinci, makes first public appearance in years

An intense restoration project piece finally appears before the public for the first time in six years.

Leonardo da Vinci is known for his many beautiful works, one of which is the "Adoration of the Magi," which has not been seen by the public in over five years.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Leonardo da Vinci was asked to paint the masterpiece by the Augustinian monks of San Donato a Scopeto in Florence, but he set off for Milan the next year, leaving the painting incomplete.

The piece features the Virgin Mary and Christ child i the foreground with the Magi kneeling in adoration. Many others are seen in the background, including what appears to be a man attempting to repair the ruins of a pagan building.

Men to the right of the painting are fighting on horseback, and there is a sketch of a rocky landscape.

According to Leonardo da Vinci.net, the ruins may be a reference to the Basilica of Maxentius, which the Romans allegedly claimed would stand until a virgin gave birth.

The building supposedly, it collapsed the night of Christ's birth, though in actuality it was built well after the Holy Virgin gave birth.

The ruins were an important part of the painting, as they offer what some believe to be a preparatory perspective, further backed by the fighting soldiers.

A palm tree in the center is believed to be associated with the Virgin Mary. Palm trees were symbols of victory in ancient Rome, and in Christianity, they represent martyrdom's triumphs over death.

The other tree in the painting s from the carob family and its seeds were used as a unit of measurement for valuable stones and jewels.

The tree's seeds are also associated with crowns, which can be suggesting Christ is the king of kings or the Virgin Mary is the future Queen of heaven. It can also be seen as nature's gift to the newly born Christ. The pagan background is most likely meant to represent the Pagan world as a thing of the past as the Christian world is ushered into the foreground.

The piece was painted between 1481 and 1482 and has since been on display in a variety of locations.

"Adoration of the Magi" was recently put through a six-year restoration process and has, for the first time since, been released for the public.

The intense restoration was carried out by a team at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, a research and conservation institute of the Italian culture ministry.

Experts revealed those working on the painting discovered newfound depths of meaning in the work.

"Adoration of the Magi" is a nearly square oil painting and is back in its home at Florence's Uffizi Gallery for a special exhibit running until September.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online