Immortalized by Leonardo da Vinci in a 15th-century portrait now housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Ginevra de’ Benci was a celebrated beauty of the Italian Renaissance. Her likeness—the only da Vinci painting on permanent view in the Americas—was created with oil paints on a flat panel of wood between about 1474 and 1478.
At the time, Leonardo was in his 20s, a young artist on the cusp of a grand career. His subject, meanwhile, was a teenager on the cusp of adulthood. As portrayed by Leonardo, Ginevra boasts smooth bronze curls, a flawless porcelain complexion, an elegant neck and noble bearing. Her eyes are heavily lidded, and her face sports a serious, contemplative expression.
