From the blog Artistic Adventures of Mankind: “The theme of the Christ Child on the Virgin’s knee, who’s in turn seated on St. Anne’s lap, is fairly rare, but some examples can be found from the Middle Ages onwards and they intend to represent the stream of life flowing through three generations… It is unfinished… The lamb seems to have been finished by other painter; whereas, the landscape, St. Anne, the Virgin and the Child Christ are the work of Leonardo. Mary’s gaze is melancholic, she has recognized that her son must suffer his future fate. Her body still seems to be showing the tension of the previous moment when she wanted to pull her child away from the lamb, the symbol of his future sacrifice. St. Anne is watching the events benevolently. The pyramidal composition is dynamic, yet harmoniously balanced. The colossal sense of depth created by the mountainous landscape gives the painting a perceptible peacefulness and greatness. We also see that Mary is gazing into her child’s eyes, while Saint Anne is looking at Mary.”