- Madonna Litta
Infobox Painting|
title=Madonna Litta
artist=Leonardo da Vinci
year=circa1490
type=Oil on canvas (transferred from panel)
height=42
width=33
city=Saint Petersburg
museum=Hermitage Museum The "Madonna Litta" is one of the great paintings by
Leonardo da Vinci . There are numerous replicas of the work by otherRenaissance painters, and Leonardo's own preliminary sketch of Madonna's head in theLouvre . The Child's awkward posture, however, led some scholars to attribute parts of the painting to Leonardo's pupilBoltraffio . Other clues that contribute to the fact that Leonardo had this painting completed by one of his pupils include the harsh outlines of the Madonna and Child, as well as the plain landscape. Also notice the small bird in the child's left hand and in its right hand it has a bird like modelThis work was painted sometime in the
1480s for theVisconti rulers ofMilan and soon passed to theLitta family, in whose possession it would remain for centuries. In1865 ,Alexander II of Russia acquired it from Count Litta, quondam minister toSt Petersburg , and deposited the painting in theHermitage Museum , where it has been exhibited to this day. The painting was briefly featured in the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code.ee also
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Madonna (art)
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