Why it matters
The Virgin breastfeeds the Christ Child in a dark interior with two arched windows opening onto a mountain landscape; in his left hand Christ holds a goldfinch, a symbol of his future Passion. Scholars are divided over whether Leonardo painted it himself, but the Hermitage considers it an autograph work.
Did you know?
- Some attribute it to pupils such as Boltraffio or Marco d'Oggiono.
- It is named after the Litta family of Milan, who owned it for much of the 19th century.
- It may have been begun in Florence and finished later by a pupil in Milan.
Based on the Wikipedia article Madonna Litta (CC BY-SA 4.0).
