What is the name of Leonardo's painting of the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, and Saint Anne?

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Leonardo’s painting of the Virgin Mary, baby Jesus, and Saint Anne is The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. The unfinished oil painting is now housed in the Louvre in Paris and is generally dated to around 1503–1519, spanning much of Leonardo’s later career.

The composition shows Saint Anne seated behind her daughter Mary, while Mary reaches toward the infant Jesus. Christ grasps a lamb, a symbol of his future Passion and sacrifice. The interlocking figures create a flowing, almost triangular group that reflects Leonardo’s interest in movement, anatomy, and family relationships.

The work is often confused with the Burlington House Cartoon, a related Leonardo drawing that also includes Saint Anne, Mary, and Jesus—but adds the young John the Baptist. The Louvre painting does not include John. It was commissioned for a Florentine religious setting but remained unfinished.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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