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Follower of Leonardo da Vinci, 'The Virgin and Child', after 1510

About the work

Overview

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most emulated and copied painters in history, and many artists have tried to reproduce his painting style. Most of them, like the artist who made this painting, did not come anywhere close to matching his skill. Paintings like this fulfilled a demand for pictures in Leonardo’s style, especially in Milan after his departure in 1513, which is around the time this work was made.

The multiple supple folds of the draperies, the muted colours and the generally dark atmosphere from which the figures seem to emerge reflect Leonardo’s works of the early years of the sixteenth century. The composition, however, is most closely based upon a picture made by Leonardo in the early 1490s, The Madonna Litta (State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg). It shows the Virgin feeding the infant Christ, his little legs wriggling as he grasps her breast in his mouth.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Virgin and Child
Artist
Follower of Leonardo da Vinci
Artist dates
1452 - 1519
Date made
after 1510
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
59.7 × 43.8 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1860
Inventory number
NG1300
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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