Image · Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Renaissance · Painting
La Belle Ferronnière
Leonardo da Vinci · c. 1490–1497
ArtistLeonardo da Vinci
Datec. 1490–1497
TypePainting
MediumOil on walnut panel
Dimensions63 cm × 45 cm (24.8 in × 17.7 in)
LocationDenon Wing
— The Work
About this masterpiece
A young woman, finely dressed in red brocade with a thin band (ferronière) across her brow, turns her head sharply to engage the viewer with a direct, unsettling gaze. The shallow architectural setting and the almost photographic crispness of detail mark this as one of Leonardo’s most penetrating portraits of the Milanese court.
— Context
Historical significance
The sitter is traditionally identified as Lucrezia Crivelli, a mistress of Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan. Acquired for the French royal collection no later than the early 16th century, the painting demonstrates Leonardo’s mastery of psychological characterization a decade before he painted the Mona Lisa.
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