La belle ferronnière by Da Vinci is a fascinating portrait, which illustrates the artistic and scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci. This painting, exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris, depicts a mysterious woman, whose identity and history have been the subject of many hypotheses.
Historical context of the work
La belle ferronnière is a painting painted between 1495 and 1497 on a walnut wood panel. It is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and his workshop. It is part of the works made by Leonardo during his first Milanese period, where he was in the service of Ludovico Sforza, called the Moor, Duke of Milan.
The painting is mentioned for the first time in 1642 in the royal collections of Fontainebleau, as being a work of Leonardo representing “a Duchess of Mantua”. It would then be Lucrezia Crivelli, who became the mistress of Ludovico Sforza from 1495 and who gave him a son in 1497. This hypothesis is supported by three epigrams from the Codex Atlanticus where Leonardo praises the beauty of Lucrezia.
However, a confusion was made in the 18th century with another portrait of a woman in profile, considered as that of “la Belle Ferronnière”, nickname given to one of the supposed mistresses of Francis I. The painting by Leonardo was then renamed La Belle Ferronnière and became famous under this name.
Other specialists have proposed other identities for the woman in the portrait, such as Beatrice d’Este, the wife of Ludovico Sforza, or an anonymous lady belonging to the Milanese court. Some have also questioned the attribution of the painting to Leonardo and have suggested that it was a work of his pupil Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio or his collaborator Francesco Melzi.
Analysis of the painting
La belle ferronnière depicts a woman in three-quarters, whose head is turned towards the spectator but whose gaze avoids him. She wears a scuffia, a bonnet at the back of her head, and a ferronnière, a band adorned with a cameo or a precious stone that encircles her forehead. This jewel was fashionable in Lombardy at that time and gave its name to the painting.
Leonardo used the technique of sfumato, which consists in blurring the contours and creating effects of shadow and light. He thus made the face and hands of the woman softer and more realistic. He also took care of the details of the clothes and jewels, testifying to the high rank of the model.
The painting presents a harmonious and balanced composition, based on horizontal and vertical lines. The woman is placed in the center of the painting, on a dark background that brings out her figure. The tight framing highlights her expression and personality.
Interpretation
La belle ferronnière is a fascinating portrait, which illustrates the artistic and scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci. He shows great technical mastery and deep knowledge of human anatomy. He also reveals Leonardo’s ability to capture the soul of his models.
The evasive gaze and enigmatic smile of the woman express a certain coldness, or even a secret hardness. She seems to elude the spectator and keep her secrets. She evokes thus complexity and depth of human feelings , themes dear to Leonardo.
La belle ferronnière is therefore a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance , which testifies to talent and universal curiosity of Leonardo da Vinci . It is part of treasures of Louvre Museum , where it was restored in 2015.
