There are
in fact two different versions of this painting, commissioned by a group
known as
the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception. The painting was expected to
be completed in just seven months, and Leonardo failed to deliver on time-
or to deliver the painting that was agreed upon. (Whether the quibble was over
'heretical' details or artisitc license is not known). For whatever reason,
a second version of the image was undertaken after much legal wrangling with
the artist. The first image, which hangs in the Louvre, is the contentious
image with 'anomalies' discussed in books like the Da Vinci Code and Holy Blood,
Holy Grail.
The
second image is kept by the National Gallery in London, and it is disputed
whether or not Leonardo created, supervised, or had any involvement at all
in the work. The halos and staff were added at a later date by an unknown
artist.
Da
Vinci Code Study Guide
The Western, or Esoteric Kabbalah was created and utilized by Western
magicians and Hermetic students for hundreds of years, and is a spiritual
tradition in its own right.
The
Quest for the Holy Grail
The Arthurian quest for the Holy Grail has important symbolic meaning
in the western Hermetic tradition.
Hermetic
Tradition
Named after Hermes Trismigestus, the Greek moniker of the Egyptian God
Tehuti, alleged author of hundreds of mystical tractates, the Hermetic
tradition is an eclectic spiritual tradition that is the father of medieval
alchemy, magical/mystical orders, and many other aspects of the western
mystery tradition.
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