Leonardo Da Vinci’s Madonna Litta is currently housed in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This painting depicts Mary holding Christ as he is breastfeeding. In his left hand the baby Christ holds a little goldfinch which is representative of his future Passion. The painting is within an architectural space which has two arched windows in the background. There is little light within the painting (possibly an attempt towards mastering the technique of chiaroscuro) which make the blue background outside of the windows even more apparent. The windows also display Da Vinci’s technique of sfumato, which allows for a more realistic depth of background in which further away objects become less distinct and blend into the horizon. This painting has been attributed to Da Vinci because within his Codex Vallardi, which is currently housed in the Louvre, there is a metal point drawing of a woman’s face in a near profile which is exceedingly similar to the woman’s face in the Madonna Litta.

Sources Used:

Clark, Kenneth. "The Madonna in Profile." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 62.360 (1933): 136–140. JSTOR. Web. 28 Feb. 2018.

“Madonna Litta.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2018.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia, page titled Madonna Litta. Image is Public Domain.