Madonna Litta, a photo from Saint Petersburg, Northwest

Photographer's Note

Inspired by Craig's adventure in a museum, I post this picture from Hermitage. It is more interesting to show the artwork and the reaction of visitors, but it was impossible to do. We had only three hours so went quickly around the halls to see the most famous paintings. And as you can guess, it was the invasion of visitors inside, mainly from Asia.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452�1519) was one of the leading artists of the High Renaissance. Fifteen artworks are generally attributed either in whole or in large part to him. However, it is believed that he made many more, only for them to be lost over the years or remain unidentified. The authorship of several paintings traditionally attributed to Leonardo is disputed. Two major works are known only as copies. Works are regularly attributed to Leonardo with varying degrees of credibility. None of Leonardo's paintings are signed. The attributions here draw on the opinions of various scholars.

As there are so few paintings by Leonardo, when the museum owns any of them it is the biggest attraction. In Hermitage, there are two paintings by Leonardo.
The Madonna Litta is a late 15th-century painting, traditionally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. It depicts the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the Christ child, a devotional subject known as the Madonna lactans. The figures are set in a dark interior with two arched openings, as in Leonardo's earlier Madonna of the Carnation, and a mountainous landscape in aerial perspective can be seen beyond. In his left hand Christ holds a goldfinch, which is symbolic of his future Passion.

Scholarly opinion is divided on the work's attribution, with some believing it to be the work of a pupil of Leonardo such as Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio or Marco d'Oggiono; the Hermitage Museum, however, considers the painting to be an autograph work by Leonardo. The painting takes its name from the House of Litta, a Milanese noble family in whose collection it was for much of the nineteenth century. (From Wikipedia)
I hope you will like it anyway.

jhm, pajaran, ikeharel, holmertz, pierrefonds, PiotrF, maloutim has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jhm (203085) 2019-07-27 0:59

Hello Malgo,

This image speak book parts, small but very fine to look at.
Pleasant picture with a high quality, photographed.
Your photos are well exposed and with very good colours.
Wonderful presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

holmertz (92898) 2019-07-27 4:01

Hello Malgo,
I guess as a photo this is not one of my favourites, since it is a work by someone else and you didn't contribute much. (This has been discussed before.) But it's well taken, and we get a fairly good view of the painting although it is small. Another interesting discussion could concern the quality of the painting. Is it less good if it is made by a pupil of Leonardo? I don't envy you the crowds. My best experience at Wawel was being alone (except for a guard) with the Lady with an ermine. "Seeing" Mona-Lisa was just ridiculous.
Have a nice weekend,
Gert

pierrefonds (103621) 2019-07-27 4:41

Hi Malgo,

The golden frame is an eye-catcher. The point of view is showing the details of the painting of the Madonna with the child. The surrounding light has a good effect on the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

PiotrF (52330) 2019-07-27 5:24

Czesc Malgo
Bogactwo tego muzeum jest nie do ogarniecia w ciagu... zawsze bedzie to za mala liczba godzin czy dni.
Faktycznie sa chwile ze ciezko sie tam poruszac, ale ja wybralem pochmurny dzien i niespiesznie zrobilem tam kilkanasie km :)
Ciekawy opis o Leonardzie
pozdrawiam
Piotr

rychem (72179) 2019-07-27 6:56

Obraz mi sie podoba choc go do tej pory nie znalem, a rame ma naprawde imponujaca :)
pozdrawiam Ryszard

maloutim (13617) 2019-07-27 10:52

Hi Emka,
I didn't know there was a painting by Leonardo in St Petersburgh, so you have enlightened me on this one. And a very nice one it is too. I like it.
I see you have kept the walls of the museum in order to stick to the rules about posting paintings.
I have made a little WS where I have starightened the lines, sharpened and saturated a bit+ a little cropping.
I hope I haven't betrayed the reality.
Kind regards.
Marie-Louise.

[workshop] [compare]

Ilonka1974 (9401) 2019-07-27 12:23

Czesc Malgorzata,
Nie czesto wchodze do muzeum, lecz Ermitarz musze odwiedzic koniecznie.
Wspanila ptezentacja obrazu Leonarda.
Pozdrawiam
Janusz

Silvio1953 (205826) 2019-07-27 13:26

Ciao cara Malgo, great view of fantastic artwork, fine details, splendid sharpness and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, have a good weekend, ciao Silvio

lousat (130033) 2019-07-27 15:40

Ciao Malgo,not famous like the Gioconda,but still one of the most beautiful paintings of Leonardo,i like the post dedicated to the most famous italian artist in the world! I prefere the natural view of the main pic,good attempt in the WS but a bit deformed and innatural. Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

Tue (82306) 2019-07-27 20:56

Hello Malgo,
A good, clear and sharp photo of this Da Vinci painting. The golden frame adds a nice colour contrast with the blue and red of the painting itself.
Lars

photographer_sg (6059) 2019-07-27 23:24

Hello Malgo
It is a beautiful painting (no matter who was the artist) and you have presented it well though slightly overshadowed by the golden frame which in itself is a fine work of art. I much prefer the main post than the WS. Interesting and informative notes as always.
Cheers!
Satya

jmdias (102982) 2019-08-14 12:05

malgo

yes, it is one of the masterpieces of this museum that it is own a masterpiece.I liked the view despite you had to fight with the reflections in the glass. curious aspects of art, if it is painted by leonardo is a masterpiece, if is painted by other it is almost nothing. sometimes the label is more important than the art itself.
I am a painter (the best of my town I guess haha). but I guess a good painting of an unknown painter is more interesting than a bad painting from a famous artist.
take care

jorge