Leonardo da Vinci – Ginevra de’ Benci (c.1474)

Description

This work of art has been digitally enhanced without erasing signs of ageing for the sake of authenticity. Digital paintings are very popular right now as an affordable and stylish way to decorate and personalize your home and office.

Leonardo da Vinci – Ginevra de’ Benci (c.1474)

“Ginevra de’ Benci, a well-known young Florentine woman, is universally considered to be the portrait’s sitter. Leonardo painted the portrait in Florence between 1474 and 1478, possibly to commemorate Ginevra’s marriage to Luigi di Bernardo Niccolini at the age of 16. More likely, it commemorates the engagement. Commonly, contemporary portraits of females were commissioned for either of two occasions: betrothal or marriage. Wedding portraits traditionally were created in pairs, with the woman on the right, facing left; since this portrait faces right, it more likely represents betrothal.

The juniper bush that surrounds Ginevra’s head and fills much of the background, serves more than mere decorative purposes. In Renaissance Italy, the juniper was regarded a symbol of female virtue, while the Italian word for juniper, ginepro, also makes a play on Ginevra’s name.

The imagery and text on the reverse of the panel—a juniper sprig encircled by a wreath of laurel and palm, memorialized by the Latin motto Virtvtem Forma Decorat (“Beauty adorns virtue”)—further support the identification of the portrait. The phrase is understood as symbolizing the intricate relationship between Ginevra’s intellectual and moral virtue on the one hand, and her physical beauty on the other. The sprig of juniper, encircled by laurel and palm, suggests her name. The laurel and palm are in the personal emblem of Bernardo Bembo, a Venetian ambassador to Florence whose platonic relationship with Ginevra is revealed in poems exchanged between them. Infrared examination has revealed Bembo’s motto “Virtue and Honor” beneath Ginevra’s, making it likely that Bembo was somehow involved in the commission of the portrait.

The portrait is one of the highlights of the National Gallery of Art and is admired by many for its portrayal of Ginevra’s temperament. Ginevra is beautiful, but austere; she has no hint of a smile and her gaze, although forward, seems indifferent to the viewer.

At some point, the bottom of the painting was removed, presumably owing to damage, and Ginevra’s arms and hands are thought to have been lost. Using the golden ratio, Susan Dorothea White has drawn an interpretation of how her arms and hands may have been positioned in the original. The adaptation is based on drawings of hands by Leonardo thought to be studies for this painting.”

After purchase you will have access to a PDF document with a link to these files available for download: 7×7”, 9×10”, 11×12”, 13×14”, 19×20”, 23×24”, 33×33” and 34×36”.

All files are in JPG format and at 300 PPI/DPI resolution. Please note that colours on your screen may be slightly different from the actual print.

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