Ailsa Mellon Bruce, daughter of Andrew Mellon, the founder of the National Gallery of Art, was herself a lifelong benefactress of the museum. In 1967, she provided over $5 million that allowed the museum to purchase this painting from Lichtenstein royalty. It is still the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas. Leonardo was in his early 20s when he painted this work.
Ginevra dé Benci by Leonardo da Vinci (1474)
There is another "portrait" on the reverse side of the painting. It shows Ginevra's emblem, a juniper sprig encircled by a wreath of laurel and a palm and the phrase: VIRTVTEM FORMA DECORAT (beauty adorns virtue). The Italian word for juniper is ginepro, suggesting Ginevra's name. Some believe the painting was commissioned to celebrate her marriage in 1474. However, a more plausible possibility is the painting was commissioned by Bernardo Bembo, the Venetian ambassador to Florence, to celebrate his platonic adoration of her. It is known that Bembo's emblem is near identical to Ginevra's, and infrared examination has also revealed Bembo's motto, Virtus et honor, painted beneath Ginevra's scrolling motto. During the Italian Renaissance platonic love affairs between gentlemen and wealthy ladies, often conducted from afar, were not uncommon.
Ginevra dé Benci by Leonardo da Vinci (1474)
There is another "portrait" on the reverse side of the painting. It shows Ginevra's emblem, a juniper sprig encircled by a wreath of laurel and a palm and the phrase: VIRTVTEM FORMA DECORAT (beauty adorns virtue). The Italian word for juniper is ginepro, suggesting Ginevra's name. Some believe the painting was commissioned to celebrate her marriage in 1474. However, a more plausible possibility is the painting was commissioned by Bernardo Bembo, the Venetian ambassador to Florence, to celebrate his platonic adoration of her. It is known that Bembo's emblem is near identical to Ginevra's, and infrared examination has also revealed Bembo's motto, Virtus et honor, painted beneath Ginevra's scrolling motto. During the Italian Renaissance platonic love affairs between gentlemen and wealthy ladies, often conducted from afar, were not uncommon.
Reverse side of Ginerva dé Benci © National Gallery of Art
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