A masterpiece drawn on eight glued sheets

The cartoon of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the infant Saint John the Baptist measures 141.5 × 106.5 cm. As this giant format did not exist at the time of its creation, the painter had to superimpose and glue eight sheets of folio reale format of approximately 55 × 47 cm. A restoration carried out between 1987 and 1989 allowed for the rediscovery of drawn areas hidden by a wooden frame installed as early as the 18th century.