Madonna Litta
Painting on panel, transferred to canvas • Leonardo da Vinci (or a pupil, likely Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio or Marco d'Oggiono under Leonardo's supervision)
Style & Movement
High Renaissance
Medium & Technique
Tempera (and likely oil) on canvas (transferred from popal panel). Employs sfumato for the soft facial transitions and chiaroscuro for the volume of the infant's body.
Creation Period
circa 1490
Dimensions & Format
42 cm × 33 cm (16.5 in × 13 in); Portrait format
Subject Description
A Madonna Lactans (Nursing Madonna) composition. The Virgin Mary is shown in profile/three-quarter view breastfeeding the Christ child, who holds a goldfinch in his left hand—a symbol of his future Passion. Two arched windows behind them reveal a mountainous blue atmospheric landscape.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good (Relined/Transferred). The painting underwent a major restoration in the 19th century when it was transferred from its original wooden panel to canvas, which changed some of the surface texture.
Estimated Market Value
Inestimable / Institutional (Likely exceeding $200,000,000 if it were ever to come to open market).
Auction Estimate
N/A - National Treasure
Provenance History
House of Visconti (Milan); Litta family collection (Milan); Acquired by Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1865 for the Hermitage Museum.
Art Historical Significance
A masterpiece of the Milanese Renaissance showing the transition in Leonardo's workshop toward more plastic, sculptural forms. It is one of the most famous depictions of the Mother and Child in Western art, quintessential for its psychological tenderness and atmospheric perspective.
Notable Features
The Christ child's complex pose and the 'sfumato' effect on the Virgin's eyelids are hallmark Leonardesque traits. The goldfinch symbol and the specific 'Litta' provenance in the 18th/19th centuries are key identifiers.
Condition Issues
Visible flattened impasto due to the transfer technique from panel to canvas in 1865; some areas of old overpainting and heavy varnish; minor cracking consistent with age.
Conservation Recommendations
Strict climate control (50% RH), UV-filtered lighting, and specialized security glazing. The current gilt frame is a high-quality historical reproduction and should be maintained regularly.