Portraits of women by Leonardo da Vinci
From Ginevra de' Benci to the Mona Lisa, Leonardo transforms a kind of court into a living experience: the body pivots, the hands speak, the air connects the face to the landscape.
From social status to inner life
Leonardo's female corpus is small, but every step counts. In Ginevra de' Benci, the young woman imposes herself in front of a juniper screen. In Milan, Cecilia Gallerani turns as if someone had just entered. With the Mona Lisa, the portrait no longer only records an appearance: it gives the illusion of a presence that changes before our eyes.
This development cannot be reduced to the famous sfumato. It is also due to the rotation of the bust, gestures, parapets, attributes, light and the relationship between figure and space.
Six steps to understanding a silent revolution
Ginevra de' Benci
The juniper plays on the first name Ginevra and frames an almost sculptural pallor. The lower part of the panel has been cut: a drawing by Windsor suggests that the hands were once part of the composition.
The Lady with the Ermine
The body and head rotate at different speeds. The animal is not a decorative accessory: its silhouette extends the arms, enlivens the pose and refers to the court of Ludovic Sforza.
La Belle Ferronnière
Its traditional title is misleading and its identity remains unknown. The direct gaze, the geometry of the costume and the parapet produce a presence that is firmer than worldly.
Isabella d'Este
The profile is reminiscent of court effigies, but the inclination of the bust and the sketched gesture prevent any rigidity. This drawing shows a painting project, not a completed painted portrait.
The Scapigliata
This is probably not a portrait of command. However, the tension between finishing and incompleteness reveals Leonardo's method: a few transitions are enough to make a face breathe.
The Mona Lisa
Lisa Gherardini sits three-quarters full with her hands crossed. Leonardo keeps the panel and reworks it for a long time: the contours melt, the expressions become mobile, the landscape seems to extend the body.
How does Leonardo bring his models to life?
He is not looking for a single formula. Each portrait becomes a laboratory where pose, light and the environment respond to the social character of the model.
A rotating head or shifted gaze suggests a moment before and a moment after.
The ermine, the parapet or the crossed hands organize the depth as much as they inform the model.
Thin transitions replace the hard contour, especially around the eyes and mouth.
At Ginevra and Lisa, nature is not a setting: it prolongs the atmosphere of the face.
Portrait, study or project?
| Work | Date | Model | Device | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginevra de' Benci | v. 1474 -1478 | Ginevra de' Benci | Three quarters, landscape, emblem on the reverse | Painted portrait, truncated panel |
| Lady with ermine | v. 1489-1491 | Cecilia Gallerani | Double rotation, animal attribute | Painted portrait |
| Beautiful Ironworker | v. 1490-1497 | Unidentified | Direct glance, parapet | Painted portrait |
| Isabella d'Este | v. 1499 -1500 | Isabella d'Este | Animated profile, sketched gesture | Preparatory cardboard |
| The Scapigliata | v. 1500-1510 | Unknown | Head tilted, finished/unfinished | Study on panel |
| The Mona Lisa | 1503 - 1519 | Lisa Gherardini | Three quarters, hands, landscape | Portrait painted and taken up at length |
What the Mona Lisa inherits from previous portraits
It takes up the frontal presence of the Beautiful Ironworker, the potential movement of Cecilia Gallerani and the dialogue with nature inaugurated by Ginevra. But it removes almost any explicit attribute.
The status of the model is no longer explained by jewelry, an animal or a motto. It is deduced from the pose, the clothing, the hands and the mastery with which Leonardo circulates the gaze between figure and landscape.
Discover Leonardo da Vinci in reproduction
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About Leonardo's models
How many portraits of Leonardo's women are preserved?
The unanimously accepted core is very small. Ginevra de' Benci, La Dame à l'hermine, La Belle Ferronnière and La Mona Lisa form the large painted portraits; Isabelle d'Este is a hit and La Scapigliata a study, not a portrait of comparable order.
Who is the wife of The Mona Lisa?
The most widely held identification is Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo - hence the names "Gioconda" and "Mona Lisa".
Was La Belle Ferronnière really an ironworker?
No. The title is late and wrong; the Louvre presents the painting as a portrait of a woman whose identity is not known.
Why do Leonardo's portraits seem to move?
The differentiated rotation of the head and bust, the softened contours, the slightly off-center looks and the suspended gestures give the sensation of a model surprised in the middle of an action.
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