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La Belle Ferronnière
by Leonardo da Vinci, 1496
StyleRenaissance
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1496
- Medium
- Oil on walnut panel
- Size
- 62 cm × 44 cm
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Leonardo da Vinci painted the La Belle Ferronnière around 1490-1496 in Milan, depicting an unknown woman often identified as one of Duke Ludovico Sforza's mistresses. She wears a ferronnière, a headband with a jewel centered on the forehead, which gave the painting its name centuries later.
The subject gazes past the viewer with a reserved, almost cool expression. A stone parapet separates her from the picture plane, a compositional device borrowed from Flemish portraits. Leonardo's subtle modeling creates lifelike dimensionality, especially around her eyes and the soft transitions of her neck. The dark background focuses attention entirely on her face.
The sitter's identity remains debated. Candidates include Lucrezia Crivelli and Cecilia Gallerani (also depicted in Lady with an Ermine). The painting entered the French royal collection, possibly as early as Francis I's reign. It now hangs at the Louvre alongside Leonardo's other works.
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About La Belle Ferronnière
Her identity is unknown. Candidates include Lucrezia Crivelli and other mistresses of Duke Ludovico Sforza. The debate continues among art historians.
A thin headband with a jewel positioned at the center of the forehead. It was fashionable in Renaissance Italy. The painting takes its name from this accessory.
At the Louvre in Paris, in the same gallery as the Mona Lisa and Virgin of the Rocks. It's part of the world's largest Leonardo collection.
Yes, modern scholarship confirms Leonardo's authorship. Some earlier critics suggested Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, but technical analysis supports Leonardo.
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