Buccleuch version · Edinburgh
The Madonna of the Spindles
Two major paintings, dozens of copies and an attribution that is not just an "original or fake". The Buccleuch version and the Lansdowne version preserve traces of a Leonardo invention developed with his workshop.
Compare Buccleuch and LansdowneThere is not a single version unanimously recognized as entirely autograph
The composition was documented in 1501 by a letter addressed to Isabelle d'Este. Two panels dominate the file: the Madonna Buccleuch and there Madonna Lansdowne. Technical examinations revealed comparable compositional changes in both, bringing them closer to Leonardo's creative process rather than an afterthought of mechanical copying.
The cautious consensus therefore consists of talking about tables of Leonardo and workshop, with the participation of the master, the extent of which remains discussed according to the zones and specialists.
Buccleuch and Lansdowne: close, but not interchangeable
The two paintings use the same gestural knot: the Child leaves his mother's lap to grab the reel, while Marie extends her hand as if to hold it back. The landscapes, contours, modeling and certain details differ clearly.
A dark and focused intimacy
The landscape is more contained, the range more muffled and the figures seem to advance towards the viewer. The National Galleries of Scotland considers it likely that the design, figures and rocks in the foreground bear Leonardo's hand strongly, while the landscape was added by another artist.
A larger and brighter landscape
The clear mountains open up the space more and the silhouettes stand out with almost mineral precision. The Metropolitan Museum presents it as a work of Leonardo and workshop, circa 1501, transferred from a walnut panel.
The dispenser transforms a domestic gesture into an announcement of the Passion
The object is used to wind the thread into a skein. In the hands of Jesus, his crosspieces draw a cross. The Child therefore does not play with a trivial accessory: he fixes the sign of his future sacrifice, while his mother understands what he announces.
Two looks, two beats
Mary looks down with restrained gravity. Jesus raises his face towards the reel. The painting thus brings together the tender present of childhood and the painful future of the Crucifixion.
A movement impossible to stop
Mary's hand moves forward without really grasping the Child. Her gesture expresses at the same time maternal protection, hesitation and acceptance of a destiny that she cannot prevent.
A little Virgin intended for Florimond Robertet
After the fall of Ludovico Sforza and the departure from Milan, Leonardo worked in Florence. The painting would have been commissioned for Florimond Robertet, secretary and diplomat in the service of King Louis XII. The letter describes a Virgin "as if she were going to unwind spindles" and a Child fascinated by the branches of the cross-shaped object.
The 1501 text describes a composition in progress, not a painting identified with certainty today.
This is a decisive nuance. The letter proves the existence of the invention and its context, but it does not automatically designate the Buccleuch or Lansdowne version as the panel delivered to Robertet. It is even possible that the work was never completed or given to the sponsor.
The repentants tell of a composition invented during painting
Scientific examinations do not show a fixed drawing copied obediently. They reveal abandoned solutions: basket of spindles, different attitudes and narrative elements linked to the flight into Egypt. The composition gradually simplifies around the mother, the Child and the sign of the cross.
Narrative scene
A first, more developed idea would have associated the Holy Family, the basket and the journey to Egypt.
Discount
Items are removed to focus attention on the cross movement of the three arms.
Diffusion
Assistants and followers take several states, which explains the copy families rather than a single final model.
The Louvre retains a witness to the final state
The Louvre version is not attributed to Leonardo: the notice gives it to an anonymous Italian artist, according to the master. It nevertheless remains valuable, because the copies can retain solutions that are then modified, lost or distributed between several states of the composition.
The Louvre panel, painted on walnut around 1510 -1530, takes up the tight state without a basket of spindles. Other copies, on the contrary, show additional accessories. Their comparison helps historians reconstruct the circulation of drawings and ideas in the workshop.
To watch: the Child's body is smoother, the landscape colder and the cross of the dispenser more readable. A copy never only reproduces contours: it also interprets light, materials and emotional intensity.
What can be said, what remains probable, what remains open
The vocabulary of museums is deliberately precise. It protects the reader against two excesses: transforming any trace of Leonardo into a total autograph, or reducing the panels to simple studio copies.
The invention is by Leonardo
The letter of 1501, the structure of the composition and the repentances firmly connect the project to its activity.
The master intervenes directly
In both major releases, some areas and decisions go beyond the work of a copy executed after a completed template.
The exact distribution of hands
Figures, landscape, finishes and covers are not assigned identically by all specialists.
Three zones allow you to measure the differences
The modeling of faces
Observe the transition from shadow to light, the softness of the eyelids and the way the curls blend into the atmosphere.
The depth of the landscape
The Lansdowne version develops bluish mountains and a wider air distance than the Buccleuch.
The mechanics of gestures
The triangle formed by the arms, hands and object gives the small panel an almost monumental tension.
Two works, two very different modern trajectories
Buccleuch
- Ducal collection · kept at Drumlanrig Castle.
- 2003 · stolen from the castle in Scotland.
- 2007 · found after four years of disappearance.
- Since 2008 · loaned to the National Galleries of Scotland.
Lansdowne
- 19th century · documented in the collection of the Marquise de Lansdowne.
- Support · paint transferred from its walnut panel.
- Studies · in-depth scientific campaign in the early 2000s.
- 2026 · on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Edinburgh, New York and Paris
Loans and skirmishes may change. The official notices consulted in July 2026 give the following indications; always check the day of your visit.
Scottish National Gallery
The Buccleuch version is shown as on display in Edinburgh, on loan from the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust.
See the official noticeThe Met Fifth Avenue
The Lansdowne version is listed on loan and exhibited in gallery 609 in New York.
See the official noticeLouvre Museum
The Louvre retains the Lombard copy RF 2112, currently marked as not set out in its notice.
See the official noticeWhy bring them together mentally?
Comparing the two versions and the copies allows us to understand a workshop where the model is not fixed: it circulates, transforms and remains open.
The Buccleuch version is available in hand-painted reproduction
The product corresponds well to the version studied in this article. The sheet allows you to choose the format and finishing options available.
The Madonna of the Spindles, Buccleuch version
Artisanal reproduction based on the composition of Leonardo da Vinci and his workshop.
See reproduction Explore Leonardo da VinciThe Madonna of the Spindles in five answers
What is Leonardo's real Madonna with Spindles?
Neither major version is unanimously accepted as the only original painted entirely by Leonardo. Buccleuch and Lansdowne are linked to his invention and his workshop, with direct participation from the master considered probable but discussed in its scope.
Why are we talking about spindles or reels?
The object held by Jesus is used to form skeins. Depending on the translations and usage, the French title uses "fuseaux", "dévideur" or sometimes "bouncer".
What does the cross-shaped object symbolize?
He announces the Crucifixion. Jesus looks at him and grabs him voluntarily, while Mary expresses a painful awareness of her destiny.
Is the Louvre version by Leonardo?
No. The Louvre attributes it to an anonymous Italian artist, according to Leonardo, around 1510 -1530. It is important as a witness to the diffusion of the composition.
Where is the Buccleuch version located?
It is owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust and is loaned to the National Galleries of Scotland. The official notice indicated this exposed during the July 2026 audit.
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