In Hermitage, St.Petersburg, Russia, there are two Madonnas by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and two by Raphael (1483-1520).
The Leonardo’s Madonna and Child (1480-1490), also known as the Madonna Litta, is possibly the most controversial of all.
This unsigned masterpiece, marks the beginning of High Renaissance painting. It depicts the Virgin Mary breast-feeding the Christ child. The figures are set in a dark interior between two arched openings with a landscape employing atmospheric perspective. The Christ child holds a goldfinch, symbolic of his future Passion.
Many historians believe that Leonardo only painted the Virgin's head and the rest of the painting was completed by one of his students Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (1467-1516) or Marco d'Oggiono (1470-1549), under the supervision of the master.
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