Ginevra de' Benci - Leonardo da Vinci 1474 - 1478

"Ginevra de Benci" is a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci from his early career, painted around 1474-1478 when Leonardo was in his early twenties. This artwork is especially notable as it reflects the young artist's precocious talent and foreshadows many of the techniques he would perfect in his later works.

Here are the key features and elements of the painting:

1. Subject: The painting portrays a young woman from Florence named Ginevra de' Benci. She hailed from a wealthy family and was known for her intelligence and poetic talent. Leonardo painted her around the time of her marriage to Luigi di Bernardo Niccolini.

2. Facial Expression: Ginevra's countenance exudes a sense of melancholic introspection, and Leonardo captures this with a subtlety that would become a hallmark of his style. The soft transitions of light and shadow on her face, achieved through Leonardo's sfumato technique, lend depth and realism to her expression.

3. Background: Behind Ginevra, one can see a juniper tree (the Italian word for juniper is "ginepro"), which is likely a play on her name. The tree also symbolizes chastity. The background also includes distant mountains and water, a nod to Leonardo's fascination with natural landscapes, which would become more prominent in his later works.

4. Reverse Side: Uniquely, the back of the portrait also has a painted decoration: a wreath of laurel and palm with a juniper sprig in the center, encircling a scroll with the Latin motto "VIRTUTEM FORMA DECORAT" ("Beauty adorns Virtue"). This design reaffirms the connection between Ginevra's name and the juniper and emphasizes her virtue and intellect.

5. Technical Mastery: The detailed rendering of Ginevra's auburn curls, the texture of her skin, and the intricate pattern of her dress showcase Leonardo's meticulous observation and technical prowess.

6. Crop: Interestingly, it's believed that the painting was cropped at the bottom at some point in its history. Some art historians suggest that Ginevra's hands might have been part of the original composition, similar to how Leonardo would later position hands in portraits like the "Mona Lisa."

7. Current Location: "Ginevra de' Benci" is housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It's noteworthy as the only painting by Leonardo in the Americas.

This portrait, while less famous than some of Leonardo's later works, is crucial in understanding his early style and development as a master of the Renaissance.