Madonna of the Yarnwinder /

The Madonna of the Yarnwinder (Madonna dei Fusi) (c. 1501) is the subject of several oil paintings after a lost original by Leonardo da Vinci. They depict the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, who looks longingly at a yarnwinder which the Virgin could use to measure off yarn. The yarnwinder serves as a symbol both of Mary's domesticity and the Cross on which Christ was crucified, and may also suggest the Fates, understood in classical mythology as spinners. At least three versions are in private collections, two of them in the United States, including the one previously known as "The Landsdowne Madonna". The original painting was probably commissioned by Florimund Robertet, the Secretary of State for King Louis XII of France. The version of this painting often regarded as the most likely to be by Leonardo is in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch and hung in his home in Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland until stolen. In 2003, it was stolen by two thieves posing as tourists. "Don't worry love, we're the police. This is just practice" two tourists from New Zealand were told, as the thieves exited a window carrying the Leonardo. The painting was recovered at a