Ginevra de’ Benci

Ginevra de’ Benci is a landmark of early Renaissance portraiture and the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas, held in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. The sitter returns the viewer’s gaze with a coolness almost unheard of in the 1470s, set against a juniper bush that puns on her name (ginepro), while the reverse of the panel carries the motto “Virtutem Forma Decorat” (Beauty adorns virtue). The subtle transitions of light across her face already prefigure the sfumato for which Leonardo would later be celebrated.