Leonardo da Vinci: Painter in the Court of Milan is every bit the blockbuster for which the National Gallery could have hoped. It brings together an unprecedented number of works by Leonardo and his followers, placing the enigmatic artist in a well-defined context that both illuminates his brilliance and the important role of his patron, Duke Ludovico Sforza.

The success of the exhibition lies in its framing and organisation. Curator Luke Syson thoughtfully narrowed the show’s scope to a period of less than twenty years. This time frame allows the exhibition not only to bring together an enormous collection of Leonardo’s extant paintings, but also to express the correlative aims of the artist and his patron towards achieving perfection in art and rule respectively.

The undeniable highlight of the exhibition is the appearance of both versions of Leonardo’s Madonna of the Rocks, which have never before enjoyed such close proximity to one another. In addition, the Gallery brings together The Lady with an Ermine and The Belle Ferronniere, as well the recently reattributed Christ as Salvator Mundi. It also includes a film about the artist’s untransportable Last Supper. The great number of Leonardo’s most famous works on view here help characterise his time in Sforza Milan as both productive and revolutionary.

Ironically, the only disadvantage of the exhibition is its popularity. All the rooms are crowded, and visitors must be patient if they wish to see each piece.

All advance ticket sales are sold out at this time, but visitors are welcome to go to the National Gallery early in the morning to secure tickets on the day. The queue begins to form at 07.30am, the doors open at 10.00pm, and tickets tend to sell out by noon.

Until Feb 5

JESSICA ETTINGER