This artwork was one of Cardinal Federico’s favourites, and he wanted it to be shown very prominently in the Ambrosiana collection. In his treatise Musaeum published in 1625, a fundamental document for the history of the original collection, Borromeo himself stated that the model for this panel was the cartoon by Leonardo, now in the National Gallery in London, from which Luini possibly made a partial tracing. To the composition made by the Tuscan genius, Luini added the figure of Saint Joseph to the left of the Virgin.
From January 31, the Crypt of San Sepolcro reopens to the public with news operating hours and special prices
For Spring 2020 the Class of Latin and Greek studies organizes a cycle of three conferences entitled Intorno a un Codice. In each lecture, a scholar will present a particularly valuable Ambrosian codex, illustrating its features.
