Litta Madonna (1490)-�� It depicts the�Virgin Mary�breastfeeding the�Christ child, a devotional subject known as the�Madonna lactans.� In his left-hand Christ holds a�goldfinch, which is symbolic of his future�Passion.�The figures are set in a dark interior with two arched openings, as in Leonardo's earlier�Madonna of the Carnation�It's displayed in the�Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg.�������� *Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452�1519) was Italian painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. He gained notoriety for his notebooks, in which he produced sketches and notes on a variety of topics, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, painting, and palaeontology, even though his popularity primarily stemmed from his accomplishments as a painter. Only his younger contemporary, Michelangelo, has made a greater impact to following generations of painters than Leonardo, who is widely recognised as a genius and the embodiment of the Renaissance humanist ideal.�