
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
Leonardo DA VINCI
Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus - three generations, two the fruit of immaculate conception - are portrayed in a landscape. The picture was very probably commissioned as an ex-voto to Saint Anne in gratitude for the birth of Louis XII's daughter, but Leonardo worked too long on the picture to deliver it. The composition is a fine example of his experimentation with figure composition and greatly inspired artists of the following generation.
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne / Leonardo DA VINCI
(Musée du Louvre)