Martin Kemp argues the lower third of this painting's canvas was cut o, severing the main Âfigure's arms, by citing the warped appearance of Bernardo Bembo's coat-of-arms on its back.
Martin Kemp argues the lower third of this painting's canvas was cut o, severing the main Âfigure's arms, by citing the warped appearance of Bernardo Bembo's coat-of-arms on its back. The artist notably pressed his Âfingers into the wet pigment while painting to smooth out harsh, linear transitions in the main Âgure, which was modeled on Verrocchio's bust LadyHolding Flowers and may have been based on the same sitter. The Latin motto "Virtutem forma decorat," or "Beauty adorns virtue," appears on the back of this painting in a heraldic motif depicting a wreath of laurel and palm wrapped around a juniper sprig, which offers a joking reference to the sitter's name. This portrait was purchased from the Prince of Liechtensteinby the National Gallery in Washington DC. Often compared with the artist's later female portrait Lady with an Ermine, for 10 points, name this portrait of a Florentine noblewoman, the only Leonardo painting in the United States.
Martin Kemp argues the lower third of this painting's canvas was cut o, severing the main Âfigure's arms, by citing the warped appearance of Bernardo Bembo's coat-of-arms on its back.
Ginevra de' Benci