The Art And Beauty Leonardo s Benci And Renaissance...

Acquired in 1967 by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., a 15th century oil-on-wood portrait of a Florentine aristocrat entitled ‘Ginevra de’ Benci’. The painting depicts a young de’ Benci surrounded by a dreamlike background of juniper and hazy landscape as she looks the viewer in the eye, while the reverse shows a wreath consisting of a sprig of juniper encircled by laurel and palm. This portrait has been displayed in the â€Å"Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo s Ginevra de’ Benci and Renaissance Portraits of Women† exhibit since 2001. Starting in 1969, it was part of the â€Å"In Memoriam: Ailsa Mellon Bruce exhibit†, also with the National Gallery of Art. Prior to that, it was displayed with the National Gallery in London having†¦show more content†¦It is speculated that her betrothed Luigi Niccolini to whom she was married to in 1474 commissioned this portrait. It is unknown who actually did commission the portrai t as Ginevra was known to have had several admirers who composed poetry in her honor and entreated her to share own verse with them. Among them was Lorenzo de’Medici, whose elite family was known for its patronage of the arts. It may have been he who commissioned her portrait to celebrate, or even substitute for, the object of his admiration and esteem. Many portrait subjects of the Renaissance were from a wealthy family, and educated. Ginevra was well known as a poet and learned conversationalist within her community. She, like many young women of the time were expected to comport themselves with dignity and modesty. Virtue was prized and guarded, and a girl’s beauty was thought to be a sign of goodness. Therefore, her flawless chalk-white skin, porcelain-fine features, and a reserved, somewhat impenetrable expression reflect her education, virtue and obvious beauty. Her simplistic lack of obvious finery, however, is somewhat surprising. Women in elaborate dresses ad orned with jewels and luxurious brocades displayed a family’s wealth in most portraits of the time. This lack of adornment and the three quarter pose reveal young Leonardo as an innovator. Additionally, Ginevra de’ Benci is one of the first known three-quarter-view portraits in Italian art. Leonardo placed herShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Portraiture of Women During the Renaissance1801 Words   |  8 Pageswill discuss how women were represented in the portraiture during the Renaissance period. It will explain how the women’s body was pictured in portraiture as; marriage celebrant, husbands beloved, figures of fertility, mothers, display of wealth, paragons of virtues, husband’s passive representative, indication of fashion and more (Brown, 2003). Next, it will include analysis from the two female portraits of Leonardo de Vinci’s Ginerva de’ Benci and Sandro Botticelli’s Portrait of a Lady. FirstRead MoreLeonardo Da Vinci s Port rait Of Cecilia Gallerani Essay2022 Words   |  9 Pagesconstruct. Regardless of whom he preferred romantically, many of his portraits are absolutely filled with sensuality. There is something so obvious, so crude, about Leonardo da Vinci s portrait of Cecilia Gallerani that it might seem beneath discussion. The 16-year-old mistress of the ruler of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, is stroking an ermine. The creature is white, furry and bony. Scholars have written reams about this ermine s significance as an allegory of purity. With its long snout and serpentine