Luke Syson

For an artist of Leonardo's almost overwhelming fame, there is astonishingly little agreement as to what he actually painted. Thus the choice of works for 2011's London exhibition received considerable attention. And since the attribution to Leonardo of only one of the paintings in the show - The Vatican Saint Jerome - has never been doubted, there is much at stake.

Luke Syson focuses on three of the most debated: The Madonna Litta in Saint Petersburg, the newly restored London Virgin of the Rocks and the Buccleuch Madonna of the Yarnwinder. He will consider the role of traditional connoisseurship as set against what we learn from documentary and, in particular, scientific evidence. What was considered a Leonardo in the years around 1500 and how might we answer - or even ask - that question today?

This talk has been funded by the Association of Art Historians and is a joint initiative between the University of Edinburgh (History of art), Edinburgh Art Festival and the National Galleries of Scotland.

Free tickets available from the Information Desk at the Scottish National Gallery