Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci, 1474/78, oil on panel, 43 x 37 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Italian Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, has been praised by many as the greatest artist in Western art. He left an incredible impact on audiences, artists and scholars from the Italian Renaissance until present day. There are only about 17 paintings by the master that have survived and are undisputed by art scholars. Several of them are unfinished. This portrait of the 16 year old Ginevra de' Benci’s is the only painting by Leonardo that is in an American museum or collection. He painted it in his early twenties. The execution in oil paint, the three-quarter pose and the presence of the detailed landscape in the background shows that he clearly was influenced by early Netherlandish portraiture. There is some dispute among scholars who commissioned the work. While some believe Ginevra’s portrait was made to celebrate her betrothal to Luigi di Bernardo Niccolini, others believe Bernardo Bembo, the Venetian ambassador to Florence, had it made as a sign of their friendship. Leonardo paints Ginevra with a rather cold expression and pale complexion. And while we recognize the curly hair as typical Leonardo, the soft transitions in color are not fully developed in this early work. The lower part of the work, which might have shown her hands, was cut down at one point. On the reverse side Leonardo painted several symbolic elements that refer to or symbolize Ginevra. While the palm and laurel refer to her virtue and intellect, the juniper hints at her name. The Latin inscription on a scroll stating Virtutem Forma Decorat, which translates as Beauty Adorns Virtue, unites all the elements.
#leonardodavinci#davinci#renaissance#historyofart#portrait#arthistory#juniper#historiadelarte#vasari#vinci#storiadellarte#sfumato#italianart#italianartist#firenze#italianpainter#oilpainting#oilonpanel#virtue#medici#nationalgallery#nationalgalleryofart#washington#florence#masterpiece#uffizi#oldmaster#renaissanceart#palm#laurel