Oil on panel, 42cm by 38cm.
The painting was acquired by Brownlow, 9th Earl of Exeter (1725-1793) from the Barberini Palace in Rome.
A note on the reverse in his distinctive hand attests to his belief that the painting was by Leonardo da Vinci.
It was, in fact, by his chief pupil, Marco d’Oggiono, who copied many of his works.
The 1763 Burghley Inventory records: ‘the bed-chamber … Virgin and child by Leonardo da Vinci.’
