A young, laughing Virgin holds out a small sprig of flowers, and the Child on her lap reaches for it with intent concentration. It is probably one of two Madonnas Leonardo noted beginning in 1478, and possibly his first independent painting after Verrocchio's workshop. Long lost, it resurfaced with the Benois family in Saint Petersburg and was bought by the Hermitage in 1914.
Look closer
The sprig the Child studies is shaped like a cross, a quiet foreshadowing of the Crucifixion. Behind them, a double-arched window opens onto nothing but pale blue sky.
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Compared by a vision model
