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LEONARDO da Vinci: Design for St Anne

🖼 Design for St Anne, c. 1501
Slate pencil on prepared paper
218 × 164 cm

Soft charcoal lines trace three figures—Virgin, Christ Child, and Saint Anne—in pyramidal harmony, their poses interlocking with graceful intimacy. Leonardo's preparatory study revolutionized composition through mathematical balance, influencing Renaissance portraiture and demonstrating his fusion of devotional art with scientific observation.

The story of art
The story of art
E. H. Gombrich
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