Los Altos Town Crier » ‘The Da Vinci Code’ a fast read but low on facts, historian tells Morning Forum

By Helen Cone

$Image from article \'The Da Vinci Code\' a fast read but low on facts, historian tells Morning Forum$
Historian Patrick Hatcher looks over a replica of Da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine.” He went on to unravel the connections with fact discussed in the controversial “The Da Vinci Code.”

“Codes, Ciphers, Christianity - Did da Vinci Do It?” was the title of historian Dr. Patrick Hatcher’s lecture to the Los Altos Morning Forum March 1. The retired UC Berkeley professor analyzed “The Da Vinci Code,” the best seller by Dan Brown.

The theme of the novel is based on the idea that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus and was pregnant at the time of his crucifixion. The book contends that she fled to southern France, where their child was born, and that the bloodline continues to this day, protected by a secret society (of which Leonardo da Vinci was a member) from the threat of the Roman Catholic Church.

Hatcher reflected on the 20th century feminist scholars’ desire to find heroines in the Bible, which was set in a patriarchal society. This led to the recognition that Mary Magdalene was not described in the Bible as a prostitute but was declared to be one at the time of Constantine, a few centuries later. The Gnostic gospels, discovered in the last hundred years, uncovered the story of Mary Magdalene being a devoted disciple, much loved by Jesus.

Commenting on the life of da Vinci, Hatcher reported that his father apprenticed him to an artist’s workshop where he was trained in painting and sculpture. He moved to Milan, where he spent 17 years. It was there that he painted the duke’s daughter. A copy of the painting, “Lady with an Ermine,” was facing the audience as he talked. He pointed out that the “hidden” code revealed her dress was of Spanish style because King Charles V of Spain had conquered northern Italy at that time. The white ermine symbolized purity.

Brown’s depiction of “The Last Supper” fresco revealing Mary Magdalene next to Jesus was dismissed by the speaker. He is convinced that it represents the artist’s own interest in young men.

Hatcher ended his lecture with the reminder that the novel is a fast read but readers shouldn’t look to it for historical fact.

During the question-and-answer period he told an interesting story about a painting by Raphael that an art historian found in the home of an English duke. The art historian asked for a closer look, and ultimately the painting was sent to the National Gallery in London for a determination of its authenticity. When it was found that it had been produced by the famous artist, the painting was hung in the museum. The Getty Museum in California offered $50 million to the duke for the painting. The British people in turn raised $35 million, which represented the amount the duke would have received after taxes. The painting is now the centerpiece of the Raphael collection at the National Gallery.

Morning Forum is a members-only lecture series held at the United Methodist Church of Los Altos. To get on a waiting list for membership, write to: Morning Forum, P.O. Box 274, Los Altos 94023-0274.