Portrait of Ginevra Benci

Leonardo da Vinci completed this portrait of the Florentine aristocrat Ginevra de' Benci between 1474 and 1478, creating what scholars consider the first psychological portrait in art history. While previous portraits typically showed subjects in profile, Leonardo pivoted Ginevra slightly to a three-quarter view, revealing more of her face and personality. This innovation would culminate in his later Mona Lisa.

The juniper bush behind Ginevra puns on her name ("ginepro" in Italian) while symbolizing chastity, then considered a woman's greatest virtue. The painting's reverse bears her motto "Virtutem Forma Decorat" (beauty adorns virtue). Infrared examination revealed a hidden motto belonging to Venetian ambassador Bernardo Bembo, suggesting he may have commissioned the work as one of Ginevra's admirers.

The painting lost its lower portion at some point, likely removing Ginevra's hands. It now hangs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the only Leonardo painting in the Americas. The gallery acquired it from the Prince of Liechtenstein in 1967 for a then-record price of $5-6 million.