Madonna Litta

The " Madonna Litta " is one of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance.

Informative

The image of the " breastfeeding Madonna ", which is commonly known as " Madonna Litta " received by her long-time owners in the history of art, is considered one of the most famous works of Leonardo da Vinci, although the majority of art historians no longer attributed to him today. Already time to attempt Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio set as their creator. Recent research assume, however, that it is only partially derived from him, and substantial parts of Marco d' Oggione have been executed. There is evidence that both painters within the Leonardo 's workshop ran joint orders, for which the former also attributed to Leonardo " Resurrection of Christ with the saints, Leonardo and Lucia " in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin is an impressive example.

The oldest evidence of the picture probably from the year 1583rd At the time was in the Pietro Contarini Collection in Venice a Madonna panel which is mainly identified with the " Madonna Litta ". Against 1784, the board apparently belonged to the collection of Prince Belgioioso before they came in 1813 in the collection Litta, from which they appear in the Visconti of Milan passed by inheritance. There it has traditionally been considered an authentic work of Leonardo, which Tsar Alexander II in 1865 prompting, they can be acquired for the Hermitage. As a confirmation of the write-up was discovered in 1855 by Vallardi drawing head study, which is now in the Louvre in Paris.

Immediately after the purchase was the work of his old image carrier, a wooden panel, isolated and transferred to canvas. This resulted in significant, irreparable damage.

Between 1880 and 1886, the authorship of Leonardo da Vinci by Morelli was first doubted. He wrote to the board Bernardino de 'Conti. This opinion joined in 1896 Harck, 1902 Delarow, 1907 Volynsky and at first also Berenson. Rejected the attribution of Hildebrandt, Seidlitz and A. Venturi, who wanted to see the work in a job, the then little-known brothers Ambrogio and Evangelista de Predis. Bode, Botari, Poggi, L. Venturi Sirén and even went so far as to consider the panel only as the work of an unknown master of the Milanese school, she performed after a box or drawings of Leonardo. Suida then hit the first time Marco d' Oggione ago as creator.

Despite this new write-up tests held numerous art critics firmly to the traditional attribution to Leonardo, as in 1899 Somof, 1901 Cook, 1912 and 1952 Liphart Goldscheider. However Goldscheider admits that parts of an unknown hand had been painted. As its author, he proposes Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio ago. This became more and more supporters, and soon outweighed the attributions to Boltraffio. A confirmation was made in 1984 by Ballarin, who recognized a robe study for the " Madonna Litta " as a work of Boltraffio in the Berlin Print Room. As early as 1902 Loeser Boltraffio had proposed as a draftsman, but was the sheet again soon forgotten by misplacement it. 1929, there was again published by Suida as the work of a Lombard artist, before it again attracted attention until the early 1980s. The attribution to Boltraffio is, except by Brown ( of the drawing as a work of Marco d' Oggione published ), widely recognized.

Although the attribution to Leonardo da Vinci is now regarded as disproved, the " Madonna Litta " is issued as an autograph work by him at the Hermitage until today.