Leonardo da Vinci Ginevra de‘ Benci, c.1474-78 Flashcards
Who was Ginevra de’ Benci?
-Born in August 1457 into a wealthy Florentine banking family.
-Renowned for her intellect and admired for intelligent conversation.
-Subject of many poems; praised for her beauty (golden hair and dark eyes).
-Married Luigi di Bernardo Niccolini at age 16 in 1474.
-Possibly painted by Leonardo to commemorate her engagement or wedding.
where is it thought ginevra was educated
She was aristocratic and educated (probably by nuns at Le Murate)
what was ginevra known for
-her intellect
-poetry
-chastity
-needlework
date
c.1474-78
what is the significance of Ginevra’s name?
The Italian word for juniper (ginepro) is a pun on her name, used symbolically in her portrait.
What are the key characteristics of Ginevra’s portrayal?
-Head and shoulders format, emphasizing directness.
-Porcelain-like skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a fixed, immobile head.
-Austere beauty with no hint of a smile; forward gaze but emotionally detached.
-Delicate play of light and metallic glints on curls of hair, add to charm and delicacy.
-Expression interpreted as modesty, chastity, or melancholy about her marriage.
What does Ginevra’s expression convey?
-Suggests “grave demeanor and self-restraint” as per Alberti’s ideals of virtue for Renaissance women.
-Reflects societal values of obedience, modesty, and chastity.
-Possible personal connection to her discontent or later life struggles.
How does Ginevra’s dress reflect her?
-plainly dressed
-Wears a gamurra, a modest everyday dress, as mandated by Florentine sumptuary laws of the 1470s.
-A sheer silk coverciere, fastened with a gold button veils her neckline
Stark simplicity of attire—no jewellery or elaborate detailing- modesty
Black scarf alludes to religious affiliation, connected to her education at Le Murate convent. (humanist portrayal of her intellect)
significance of black scarf
worn by those educated at le Murate after 1433. She was buried in 1520 dressed as a nun at Le Murate
an identifying sign of her religious affiliation
What is the significance of the juniper in the portrait?
-The juniper (ginepro) is a pun on Ginevra’s name.
-Symbolizes chastity, aligning with Renaissance ideals of female virtue.
-Surrounds her head like a halo, reinforcing purity.
How does nature feature in the portrait?
-Ginevra is set against a watery landscape with a bluish haze.
-Unity of her attire’s colors (brown and blue) with the landscape reflects a “microcosm of nature.”
-Symbolism includes fertility and chastity through natural motifs like flowers and foliage.
what is depicted on the verso of the portrait?
-A sprig of juniper encircled by laurel and palm branches, symbolizing chastity, poetry, and victory.
-juniper again references her name
-*Recent infrared scans have revealed Bembo’s Latin motto: Virtutem Forma Decorat (“Beauty adorns virtue”), emphasizing moral and physical beauty.
Reflects Neoplatonic ideals
-May have been influenced by Bernardo Bembo, a Venetian ambassador and admirer of Ginevra (ginevra was his neoplatonic love and the motto was supposedly his).
what do the laurel and palm branches on the verso represent
*The laurel branch (as worn by Apollo) symbolises poetry and victory (perhaps her own success in this art)
*The palm branch is often held by Christian martyrs and symbolises victory over death (perhaps a reference to her education at Le murate)
stresses Ginevra’s moral and intellectual virtue
*The laurel and palm also happened to be the emblem of Bernardo Bembo
what were the materials and techniques used
-Created with oil paints during Leonardo’s early experiments with the medium in Verrocchio’s workshop. (oil paint was fairly new and blended more easily than tempera to create naturalistic depiction- shows humanist shift on anatomical correctness)
-Early use of sfumato (thin veil-like layers of paint blended meticulously).
-Background shows subtle three-dimensionality, hinting at Leonardo’s later mastery of anatomy (slight tonal modelling in the shadi ng of the face).
where did da vinci learn pouncing and where is it shown
*Ginevra de Benci has pounce marks demarcating the eyes, nose, lips and right profile of her face – pouncing was a long-standing transfer technique which Leonardo would have learned in Verrocchio’s studio.
what are signs of Leonardo’s developing style in the portrait?
-Limited understanding of anatomical structure compared to later works.
-Ginevra’s dress lacks textural distinction from her skin.
-Wrinkling in the distant landscape indicates an overuse of oil.
-Early signs of his interest in unifying nature and human form.
how did da vinci use sfumato
*Leonardo veiled the background of this portrait in a thin veil of mist known as sfumato (literal translation: “turned to vapour”); created though sensitive modulation of thin layers of paint meticulously blended together with a brush and then textured by Leonardo dabbing his fingertips into the wet paint
what were the advantages of using oil paint
- Oil painting dries easily but slowly, permitting the careful depiction of minute details. –
- Slow drying allows for meticulously worked and complex illusionism with three dimensional effects, varied and convincing textures, and the treatment of direct and diffused light.
- Transparent oil pigments applied in layers gave an effect of extraordinary luminosity.
- Permits much freer brushwork than tempera.
- Offers unlimited possibilities for shading, retouching and superimposing glazes.
What happened to the original size of the portrait?
Cropped at the bottom, removing Ginevra’s hands, which were likely folded and held a symbolic flower.
Leonardo’s drawing suggests they added elegance and poise.
who praised ginevras hands and why
hands cut out of frame
*Cristoforo Landino’s poetry praised Ginevra’s hands as not only beautiful but skilled in needlework
what are the florentine beauty ideals depicted
-blonde hair
-pale skin
-plucked eyebrows
How does Ginevra de’ Benci fit into the tradition of Renaissance portraiture?
Portraiture during the Renaissance shifted from profile views (inspired by ancient coins and medallions) to three-quarter poses, which allowed for greater emotional engagement.
Ginevra de’ Benci demonstrates this shift with its forward-facing, introspective composition.
Reflects the Neoplatonic philosophy of the time, which connected physical beauty to moral and intellectual virtues.
Leonardo introduced naturalism into portraiture by integrating the sitter with a natural landscape, emphasizing humanity’s connection to nature.
background
*Watery landscape with a bluish haze in the background
*Juniper also refers to her chastity, the greatest virtue of a Renaissance woman
*The monumental tree in the background surrounds Ginevra’s head like a halo.
*Background landscape and foliage
*Not much definition between the background and the foreground. Unlike the Mona Lisa 25 years later which starts to incorporate a parapet and transition
-her clothes unite with the landscape- adhers to artist identifying her with nature
How do Leonardo’s anatomical studies influence Ginevra de’ Benci?
Although early in his career, Leonardo’s studies of human anatomy began during his apprenticeship under Verrocchio.
Ginevra’s face shows subtle anatomical accuracy, such as soft shadows modeling the cheekbones and jawline.
Use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro) prefigures his later works like the Mona Lisa, creating depth and volume.
Leonardo’s detailed observation of musculature and skeletal structure shaped his understanding of proportion, evident in Ginevra’s balanced and symmetrical features.
how is this not completely anatomically correct
-only subtle tonal modelling of face
-Leonardo does not distinguish the texture of the cloth from that of the flesh
-indicative of his developing style
How does Leonardo’s interest in nature appear in Ginevra de’ Benci?
Leonardo was deeply fascinated by the natural world, studying botany and geology alongside anatomy.
The juniper bush behind Ginevra not only symbolizes chastity but also reflects Leonardo’s commitment to precise natural details.
The soft gradation of light and misty background (prefiguring sfumato) shows his interest in atmospheric effects, connecting human emotion to nature.
Natural elements, such as the juniper, laurel, and palm on the reverse side, symbolize purity, intellectual virtue, and victory—linking human character to the divine order of nature.
how is humanism shown
-reference to her name
-reference to her intellect
-depiction of a woman
-focus of anatomy (beginning)
place in grid
Portraits (2D or 3D), Florence
critical quotes
who did she marry and when
*She was the wife of Luigi di Bernardo Niccolini - she married Luigi on the 15th January 1474 at the age of 16.
It is likely that the portrait was undertaken at the time of her engagement or wedding to Niccolini.
who chose ginevra as his platonic love
Florence Bernardo Bembo (Venetian ambassador) adopted the local chivalric fashion and chose Ginevra as the object of his platonic love.
how can tonal modelling be seen on ginevras face
*Ginevra’s head is fixed and immobile – held in the two-dimensional plane by firm linear contours and flattened modelling: Early Da Vinci style.
what did ginevra have to portray to show her quality of a chaste lady according to Alberti
*To convey these qualities to the world the lady had to demonstrate her “grave demeanour and self-restraint,” in Leon Battista Alberti’s words
leonardo critical quote on portraying ginevras melancholic expression
*Leonardo said: “Give your figures an attitude that reveals the thoughts your characters have in their minds.
context of what women were allowed to wear in public at the time
*In 1471/72 a few years after Lorenzo de Medici became the de facto political leader of Florence on his father’s death, much stricter sumptuary legislation was enacted. The new dress-code drastically revised what women under thirty were permitted to wear in public.
Necklines, as mandated by law, could be no lower than about 3.3 centimetres
when did bembo intensify his platonic love for ginevra
It was probably during his second Florentine stays from 1478 – 1480 that he intensified his courtship of Ginevra de Benci
in response it can be thought he possibly commissioned this and appropriated her emblematic identity to consolidate their fictive union.
*There is speculation that he commissioned one side, or both, of this portrait, but this cannot be confirmed.
-he commissioned neoplatonic poems about her
why were women depicted in renaissance portraits
*The vast majority of female portraits were commissioned on one of two occasions: betrothal or marriage.
*Marriage portraits were commissioned in relation to marriage, betrothal or chivalric courtship – they express Renaissance women’s social function as wives, mothers and the economic assets of Renaissance men.
-it is significant though that its moving away from soley depictions of men, and it moves away from just depicting her as an object of a man and intead shows her beauty, intellect, virtue etc.
what did mary garrad say about this portrait being a commemoration of her poetry
*Mary Garrard “every feature of her portrait can be explained by Ginevra’s own celebrity as a poet”:
what is the debate about the patronage of this work
-1939 Kenneth Clark proposed that the portrait commemorated Ginevra’s marriage in 1474, at age seventeen, to Luigi Niccolini.
-In 1989 Jennifer Fletcher proposed that the patron was Bernardo Bembo, the Venetian ambassador to the court of Lorenzo the Magnificent, during the earlier of his two embassies to Florence in 1475 – 1476. He adopted the married Ginevra de Benci as his Platonic lover.
*Some art historians think that one side of the panel was done for a marriage portrait, and the emblematic portrait was added later, but this is improbable and they were more likely done simultaneously.
where is this painting now
it was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. from the Liechtenstein collection in 1967
