MessageToEagle.com – Very little is known about the 500-year-old, fragile, fading red chalk drawing of Leonardo da Vinci, but some believe it has mystical powers.
There is a myth in Turin that the gaze of Leonardo da Vinci in this self-portrait is so intense that those who observe it are imbued with great strength.
Hitler had a very strong interest in occultism. This is one of the reason why decided to use the swastika as a symbol of the Third Reich. The Sanskrit word “swastika” means good fortune and well being. According to Cabbalistic lore and occult theory, chaotic force can be evoked by reversing the symbol.
And so the symbol appeared as the flag of Nazi Germany and the insignia of the Nazi party, an indication for those who had eyes to see, as to the occult nature of the Third Reich.
Hitler was never allowed to see the self-portrait of Da Vinci.
According to a report published in the BBC, due to it’s mystical power the portrait was secretly moved from Turin to Rome during World War II and there was a belief that it should never fall on Hitler’s hands so that it will give him more power.
In order to stop the Nazis from taking it, it was taken to Rome silently.
“Whatever the reason, this was the only work from the entire collection of precious drawings and manuscripts to be removed from the Royal Library in Turin at the time.
The library’s current director, Giovanni Saccani, says nobody even knows exactly where it was hidden. “To prevent the Nazis from taking it, an intelligence operation saw it transported in absolute anonymity to Rome.”
Under such difficult circumstances, preservation was not properly considered, “nor did they have the same knowledge and techniques back then,” says Saccani.
“Naturally, this did not do its condition any good.”
Inside the Royal Library a pristine red carpet lines the stairs – we follow the steps down to a secure underground vault with reinforced doors.
The portrait was “part of a vast collection purchased in 1839 by King Carlo Alberto of Savoy. A passionate collector, he bought it from Giovanni Volpato, an art dealer and curator who had traveled extensively throughout Europe. How he came upon Leonardo’s drawings is a mystery but it is known that he asked the king for the sum of 70,000 Piedmontese lire for the collection.
Generally dated around 1515, some experts believe the picture corresponds more with Leonardo’s style in the 1490s, yet the subject of the drawing is an old man.
“He wasn’t terribly keen on the idea of self-portraiture full stop,” says James Hall, author of The Self-Portrait: a Cultural History – he doesn’t believe the portrait was drawn by Leonardo. “He didn’t much like the idea that the art work should be a portrayal of the artist. He wanted the art work to represent an ideal.”
Hall thinks this drawing has become famous at least partly because of the sheer lack of self-portraits by Leonardo. “People have latched onto this like the philosopher’s stone and clung to it.
Leonardo’s Self-Portrait is considered so valuable that it is subject to a state decree of immovability.
It can only be moved with ministerial permission. In 2011 it was taken to the Reggia di Venaria Reale just outside Turin for an exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.
“Transportation involved a special ‘clima box’ able to maintain the same air conditioning systems present here in the caveau,” says Saccani. “This ‘clima box’ was then put inside a case, which was in turn placed in an outer casing, all of which was able to avoid vibration.” The package was then driven with an armed escort and constantly monitored using remote technology.
An extraordinarily complex, delicate and expensive undertaking, unlikely to be repeated very often in the future.
Over the coming weeks, 50 people will be allowed into the Royal Library’s caveau every hour from 09:00 to 18:00 to see the self-portrait – the temperature of the vault has been lowered slightly to compensate for the body heat that people will give off.
© MessageToEagle.com