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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1499-1508

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist

Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1499-1508

A large charcoal and chalk cartoon by Leonardo, the only surviving full-size cartoon by him, showing his preparatory drawing process.

The only surviving large-scale cartoon by Leonardo, it reveals his process of planning a complex composition.

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Charcoal and chalk drawing on tinted brown paper of a seated woman in a loose gown, with a younger woman leaning behind her, a child reaching toward a lamb, and a second child at right. The figures are shaded in soft, smoky tones.
Leonardo da Vinci, Burlington House Cartoon, c. 1499-1508. National Gallery, London.

About this source

What it is

Known as the Burlington House Cartoon, this large drawing in charcoal and chalk on glued-together paper sheets shows the Virgin Mary, Saint Anne, the Christ Child, and John the Baptist. It dates from around 1499-1508 and hangs in the National Gallery in London.

Why it matters

Cartoons like this were normally used to transfer a design onto a painting, but no painting by Leonardo based directly on this one survives, and there is no sign it was ever transferred. This suggests it was valued and kept as a finished artwork in its own right, revealing how Leonardo planned complex, interlocking poses for his figures.

Look closer

  • How are the bodies and gazes of the four figures connected to one another?
  • Why might this large drawing have been kept intact rather than used to transfer onto a painting?
  • What does the complexity of the poses tell you about how Leonardo planned his compositions?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Leonardo da Vinci on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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