The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

Leonardo da Vinci worked on The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne from around 1503 to 1519, leaving it unfinished at his death. Three generations appear: Saint Anne, her daughter Mary, and the infant Jesus reaching toward a lamb. The figures interlock in a complex pyramidal composition that influenced generations of artists.

Leonardo explored this subject for decades, creating multiple cartoons and studies. The version in the Louvre shows Mary sitting on her mother's lap while leaning toward Jesus, who grasps a lamb symbolizing his future sacrifice. The mysterious landscape behind them features Leonardo's characteristic blue mountains fading into atmospheric haze.

Sigmund Freud famously analyzed this painting in 1910, finding hidden psychological meaning in the composition. Whether or not his interpretation holds, the emotional complexity of three generations interacting remains powerfully moving. The painting hangs at the Louvre, showing visible signs of its unfinished state.