Madonna Litta

The Madonna Litta, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and his workshop (painted around 1490, now in the Hermitage Museum), shows the Virgin nursing the Christ Child against a dark interior with two arched windows revealing a mountain landscape. The attribution has been debated for centuries—some scholars see it as largely by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio or another Leonardo pupil, while others credit Leonardo with the design and key passages. The Madonna's idealized beauty reflects Leonardo's mature conception of feminine grace.

The painting demonstrates Leonardo's sfumato technique in the softly modeled faces, with the characteristic dark interior and distant blue landscape creating atmospheric depth, though the execution may be partly by a talented workshop assistant.